Researchers around Xiaobao WAN at QIBEBT found that gly-val-gly-val-based oligopeptides form antiparallel beta-fold structures similar to silk and can be further modulated. Thus, by creating copolymers with polythiophene, coarse fiber structures were formed at low molecular weight, and spherical particles or nanorods at high molecular weight.
CAS news release, June 12, 2014
CAS QIBEBT team develops self-assembling chiral fibers from oligopeptide