AUTHOR=Majkowska Anna , Redondo-Gómez Carlos , Rice Alistair , Gonzalez Mariel , Inostroza-Brito Karla E. , Collin Estelle C. , Rodriguez-Cabello Jose Carlos , Del Rio Hernandez Armando E. , Solito Egle , Mata Alvaro 

TITLE=Interfacial Self-Assembly to Spatially Organize Graphene Oxide Into Hierarchical and Bioactive Structures

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Materials

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/materials/articles/10.3389/fmats.2020.00167

DOI=10.3389/fmats.2020.00167

ISSN=2296-8016

ABSTRACT=<p>Multicomponent self-assembly holds great promise for the generation of complex and functional biomaterials with hierarchical microstructure. Here, we describe the use of supramolecular co-assembly between an elastin-like recombinamer (ELR5) and a peptide amphiphile (PA) to organize graphene oxide (GO) flakes into bioactive structures across multiple scales. The process takes advantage of a reaction—diffusion mechanism to enable the incorporation and spatial organization of GO within multiple ELR5/PA layers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ImageJ software were used to demonstrate the hierarchical organization of GO flakes within the ELR5/PA layers and the distribution profiles of GO throughout the ELR5/PA membranes. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed improved Young's Moduli of the ELR5/PA/GO membranes compared to the ELR5/PA membranes. Lastly, we investigated biocompatibility of the ELR5/PA/GO membrane via various cell culture methods.</p>