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Chemically and thermally stable silica nanowires with a ß-sheet peptide core for bionanotechnology

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posted on 2023-06-21, 06:02 authored by Zahraa S Al-Garawi, George KostakisGeorge Kostakis, Louise SerpellLouise Serpell
Background: A series of amyloidogenic peptides based on the sequence KFFEAAAKKFFE template the silica precursor, tetraethyl orthosilicate to form silica-nanowires containing a cross-ß peptide core. Results: Investigation of the stability of these fibres reveals that the silica layers protect the silica-nanowires allowing them to maintain their shape and physical and chemical properties after incubation with organic solvents such as 2-propanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile, as well as in a strong acidic solution at pH 1.5. Furthermore, these nanowires were thermally stable in an aqueous solution when heated up to 70 °C, and upon autoclaving. They also preserved their conformation following incubation up to 4 weeks under these harsh conditions, and showed exceptionally high physical stability up to 1000 °C after ageing for 12 months. We show that they maintain their ß-sheet peptide core even after harsh treatment by confirming the ß-sheet content using Fourier transform infrared spectra. The silica nanowires show significantly higher chemical and thermal stability compared to the unsiliconised fibrils. Conclusions: The notable chemical and thermal stability of these silica nanowires points to their potential for use in microelectromechanics processes or fabrication for nanotechnological devices.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Journal of Nanobiotechnology

ISSN

1477-3155

Publisher

BioMed Central

Volume

14

Page range

79

Department affiliated with

  • Biochemistry Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Dementia Research Group Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-12-05

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2016-12-05

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-12-05

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