| Abstract Scope |
Bound peptide monolayers are a promising way to control surface properties because peptides are biocompatible, easily tunable, can be stimuli-responsive, and possess specific secondary structures and binding capabilities. Our lab is especially interested in establishing new engineering models and assembly techniques to control and understand the behavior of surface-bound peptides for use as biomaterials. Using a variety of characterization techniques, we show that the coverage of surface-bound elastin-like peptides can be predicted with a simple linear model based on mass loading and hydrophobicity. In addition, we show that control of elastin-like peptide orientation can be achieved using a combination of electric field and peptide chemistry which results in the ability to dictate surface morphology, loading and stimuli-responsive properties. Generally, our results demonstrate that engineered surface-bound peptides are promising tools for biomaterials design. |