PNNL

Abstract

The design, synthesis, and fabrication of functional nanomaterials with specific properties remains a long-standing goal for many scientific fields. The self-assembly of sequence-defined biomimetic synthetic polymers presents a fundamental strategy to explore the chemical space beyond biological systems to create advanced nanomaterials. Moreover, subsequent chemical modification on existing nanostructures is a unique approach for accessing increasingly complex nanostructures and introducing functionalities. Of these modifications, covalent conjugation chemistries, such as the click reactions, have been the cornerstone for chemists and materials scientists. Herein, we highlight some recent advances that have successfully employed click chemistries for the post-modification of assembled one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures to achieve applications in molecular recognition, mineralization, and optoelectronics. Specifically, biomimetic nanomaterials assembled from sequence-defined macromolecules, such as peptides and peptoids, are described.