The effect of hydration and dehydration on the conformation, assembling behavior and photoluminescence of PBLG
Zhen Liu, Xinjie Shi, Wenchao Shu, Shuo Qi, Xiaosong Wang, Xiaohua He
Abstract
with a shorter chain, the chain underwent an α-to-β transition in the conformation due to dehydration as the water content increased, and correspondingly the morphologies varied from tapes to helical ribbons, and eventually to toroids at a higher water content. We also observed that this α-to-β transition is accompanied by an increase in intensity of the fluorescence, which is attributed to the through-space-conjugation of tightly packed phenyl groups within the β-sheet. The discovered effect of hydration and dehydration on the PBLG chain conformation, self-assembling behavior and optical function is essential for the innovation of polypeptide materials and understanding of water-mediated biological systems.