Oligopeptide amphiphiles for Langmuir-Blodgett films

A series of oligopeptide amphiphiles for use in a biomineralization model system were designed and fabricated using an automated Merrifield peptide synthesis. The isothermic compression behavior of these molecules in an aqueous Langmuir-Blodgett trough was investigated and compared with the behavior of a well-understood fatty acid molecule (stearic acid). Films of an oligopeptide were deposited on a hydrophobic silicon wafer and preliminary structural measurements were made using ellipsometry and small angle X-ray scattering.