Self-assembly of polypeptides as inspiration for new materials

Self-assembling proteinaceous fibrils with a diameter on the order of nanometres and a length on the order of microns can be assembled from most - if not all - proteins. They are remarkable materials, involved in a diverse variety of phenomena ranging from moderating surface tension through to promoting bacterial community behaviours. We look to these structures as robust biomaterials and as scaffolds or templates for controlled assembly at the nanoscale. I will describe our recent experiments probing the structure and mechanical properties of model protein fibrils, and our current efforts to use them as scaffolds to promote one-dimensional ordering of organic dyes.