ARTICLES OF PEPTIDE NANOSTRUCTURES AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME

• US 20090061190A1
• Filed: 06/05/2005
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ramot at Tel Aviv University Limited (Tel Aviv University)
• Original Assignee: Ramot at Tel Aviv University Limited (Tel Aviv University)
• Inventors: Reches, Meital, Gazit, Ehud
• Granted Patent: US 8,568,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/220
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 5/06078 and aromatic or cycloaliphatic
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 5/06191 containing heteroatoms different from O, S, or N
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2300/16 Biodegradable polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/18 Manufacture of films or sheets
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/00 Formation of filaments, threads, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 1/10 Other agents for modifying properties
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 4/00 Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of proteins; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 6/68 from polyaminoacids or polypeptides
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/253 Cellulosic [e.g., wood, paper, cork, rayon, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/298 Physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/60 Nonwoven fabric [i.e., nonwoven strand or fiber material]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/614 Strand or fiber material specified as having microdimensions [i.e., microfiber]

Abstract

A method of forming a fiber made of peptide nanostructures is disclosed. The method comprises: providing peptide nanostructures in solution, and fiberizing the solution thereby forming at least one fiber of the peptide nanostructures. Also disclosed are methods of forming films and other articles using the peptide nanostructures.

Claims

1-64. -64. (canceled)

65. A method of forming a fiber made of peptide nanostructures, the method comprising providing peptide nanostructures in solution, and fiberizing said solution thereby forming at least one fiber of said peptide nanostructures.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures comprises no more than 4 amino acids, at least one of said 4 amino acids being an aromatic amino acid.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures is a homodipeptide.

68. The method of claim 65, wherein each peptide in said peptide nanostructures comprises a plurality of polyaromatic peptides.

69. The method of claim 65, wherein said fiberizing is by an electrospinning process.

70. The method of claim 65, wherein said fiberizing is by a wet spinning process.

71. The method of claim 65, wherein said fiberizing is by a dry spinning process.

72. The method of claim 65, wherein said fiberizing is by a gel spinning process.

73. The method of claim 65, wherein said fiberizing is by a dispersion spinning process.

74. The method of claim 65, wherein said fiberizing is by a reaction spinning process.

75. The method of claim 65, wherein said fiberizing is by a tack spinning process.

76. The method of claim 65, wherein said nanostructures at least partially enclose a material therein.

77. A method of forming a film of peptide nanostructures, the method comprising:

dissolving peptide molecules in an organic solvent;

adding a hydrophilic solvent to said organic solvent such that an interface is formed between said organic solvent and said hydrophilic solvent; and

incubating said peptide molecules with said organic and said hydrophilic solvents under conditions which allow said peptide molecules to form a film of peptide nanostructures in said interface.

78. The method of claim 77, wherein said organic solvent is an aromatic solvent.

79. The method of claim 77, wherein each of said peptide molecules comprises no more than 4 amino acids, at least one of said 4 amino acids being an aromatic amino acid.

80. The method of claim 79, wherein each of said peptide molecules is a homodipeptide.

81. The method of claim 77, wherein said of said peptide molecules is a polyaromatic peptide.

82. The method of claim 77, wherein said nanostructures at least partially enclose a material therein.

83. A method of forming at least one layer of peptide nanostructures, comprising:

placing peptide nanostructures in an organic solvent;

applying at least one droplet of said organic solvent onto a surface of an hydrophilic solvent; and

applying pressure onto said at least one droplet of said organic solvent, so as to form at least one layer of peptide nanostructures on said surface of said hydrophilic solvent.

84. The method of claim 83, further comprising transferring said at least one layer of said peptide nanostructures to a substrate.

85. The method of claim 83, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures comprises no more than 4 amino acids, at least one of said 4 amino acids being an aromatic amino acid.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures is a homodipeptide.

87. The method of claim 83, wherein each peptide in said peptide nanostructures comprises a plurality of polyaromatic peptides.

88. The method of claim 83, wherein said nanostructures at least partially enclose a material therein.

89. A method of forming an aligned array or film of peptide nanostructures, comprising:

dissolving peptide molecules in an organic solvent;

applying said organic solvent on a substrate; and

incubating said substrate and said organic solvent under conditions which allow said peptide molecules to form an aligned array or a film of peptide nanostructures on said substrate.

90. The method of claim 89, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures comprises no more than 4 amino acids, at least one of said 4 amino acids being an aromatic amino acid.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures is a homodipeptide.

92. The method of claim 89, wherein each peptide in said peptide nanostructures comprises a plurality of polyaromatic peptides.

93. The method of claim 89, wherein said nanostructures at least partially enclose a material therein.

94. A method of forming a fiber made of peptide nanostructures, the method comprising subjecting peptide nanostructures, in solution, to an electric field so as to form at least one fiber of said peptide nanostructures.

95. The method of claim 94, further comprising collecting said at least one fiber on a precipitation electrode.

96. The method of claim 94, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures comprises no more than 4 amino acids, at least one of said 4 amino acids being an aromatic amino acid.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures is a homodipeptide.

98. The method of claim 94, wherein each peptide in said peptide nanostructures comprises a plurality of polyaromatic peptides.

99. The method of claim 98, wherein said nanostructures at least partially enclose a material therein.

100. A fiber comprising a plurality of peptide nanostructures, wherein each peptide in each of said plurality of peptide nanostructures comprises no more than 4 amino acids, at least one of said 4 amino acids being an aromatic amino acid, the fiber being at least 100 nm in length.

101. The fiber of claim 100, wherein at least one of said peptides comprises at least two aromatic amino acids.

102. The fiber of claim 101, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures is a homodipeptide.

103. The fiber of claim 100, wherein said nanostructures at least partially enclose a material therein.

106. A nonwoven article comprising a plurality of electrospun fibers, wherein at least one of said plurality of electrospun fibers is the fiber of claim 100.

104. A fiber comprising a plurality of peptide nanostructures, each peptide nanostructure of said plurality of peptide nanostructures comprises a plurality of polyaromatic peptides, the fiber being at least 100 nm in length.

105. The fiber of claim 104, wherein said nanostructures at least partially enclose a material therein.

107. A nonwoven article comprising a plurality of electrospun fibers, wherein at least one of said plurality of electrospun fibers is the fiber of claim 104.

108. A thin film comprising at least one layer of peptide nanostructures, wherein each peptide in each of said peptide nanostructures comprises no more than 4 amino acids, at least one of said 4 amino acids being an aromatic amino acid, the thin film being at least 100 nm² in area size.

109. A thin film comprising at least one layer of peptide nanostructures, wherein each peptide nanostructure comprises a plurality of polyaromatic peptides, the thin film being at least 100 nm² in area size.