Design of Nanostructured Biological Materials Through Self-Assembly of Peptides and Proteins

Abstract

Introduction Self-assembly can be defined as the spontaneous organization of individual components into an ordered structure without human intervention [1""]. The key elements of molecular self-assembly are complementarity in shape among the individual components and weak, non-covalent interactions. Molecular self-assembly as a fabrication tool will have a significant impact in the coming decades. Engineering principles for micro- and nano-fabrication can be learned by understanding molecular self-assembly phenomena in nature. Numerous self-assembling systems have already been developed, ranging from block copolymers and surfactant-like materials to scaffolds for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, DNA-based structures and models to study protein folding and protein conformational disease.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA456045

Entities

People

  • Davide M. Marini
  • Shuguang Zhang
  • Steve Santoso
  • Wonmuk Hwang

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amino Acids
  • Assembly
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Composite Materials
  • Electron Microscopes
  • Engineered Materials
  • Fabrication
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Military Research
  • Molecular Dynamics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Self Assembly
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Chemistry

Readers

  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Nanoscale Plasmonic Nanotechnology
  • Polymer Science and Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics