# Supramolecular assembly of unstructured peptides into rigid bundlemer polymers

## TL;DR

Unstructured peptides can self-assemble into rigid, rod-like polymers through a novel chemical conjugation method.

## Contribution

A new method for forming rigid supramolecular polymers from unstructured peptides via N-to-N thiol–maleimide conjugation.

## Key findings

- Unstructured peptides form coiled-coil polymers 2 nm wide and over 5 μm long.
- Assembly occurs through thiol–maleimide click chemistry at the N-termini.
- This process differs from traditional step-growth polymerization of coiled coils.

## Abstract

Unstructured, designed 15-residue peptide sequences conjugated between their N-termini through thiol–maleimide click chemistry yield coiled-coil, rod-like polymers with widths of 2 nm and lengths exceeding 5 μm. The assembly process enables supramolecular polymer formation and is distinct from previously reported step-growth polymerization of well-structured coiled coils.

Designed 15-residue peptides that are unstructured in solution fold into coiled-coil, rod-like polymers 2 nm wide and over 5 μm long upon N-to-N conjugation through thiol–maleimide click chemistry.