Conformationally directed assembly of peptides on 2D surfaces mediated by thermal stimuli.

Dynamic and environmentally directed assembly of molecules in biological systems is essential for the fabrication of micronscale, hierarchical, functional structures. Here, we demonstrate the directed assembly of genetically selected graphite binding peptides on 2D solid surfaces upon thermal stimuli. Structural and kinetic analyses as well as molecular dynamics simulations yield the self-assembly process as thermally controllable upon tuning the solvated peptide conformational states.