Structure of Polypeptide Based Diblock Copolymers in Solution: Stimuli-responsive Vesicles and Micelles

TL;DR

This study investigates polypeptide-based diblock copolymers that form stimuli-responsive micelles and vesicles, with environmental conditions like pH and ionic strength controlling their size and conformation, suitable for biological applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates reversible control of nanostructure size and conformation in polypeptide diblock copolymers under various environmental stimuli, including high salt conditions.

Findings

Structures can be reversibly manipulated by pH and ionic strength.

Polypeptide nanostructures respond in highly salted media.

Suitable for biological applications due to controllable structure and function.

Abstract

Polypeptide-based diblock copolymers forming either well-defined self-assembled micelles or vesicles after direct dissolution in water or in dichloromethane, have been studied combining light and neutron scattering with electron microscopy experiments. The size of these structures could be reversibly manipulated as a function of environmental changes such as pH and ionic strength in water. Compared to other pH-responsive seld-assembled systems based on "classical" polyelectrolytes, these polypeptide-based nanostructures present the ability to give a response in highly salted media as the chain conformational ordering can be controlled. This makes these micelles and vesicles suitable for biological applications: they provide significant advantages in the control of the structure and function of supramolecular self-assemblies.