Investigation of Peptides That Exhibit Affinity Towards Advanced Materials

Abstract

A number of commercially employed polymers are refractory to surface modification and may require harsh conditions ranging from corona discharge to halogenation to assemble a functional surface. We are exploring combinatorial peptide screening using phage display to identify peptides capable of non-covalent binding to advanced polymeric materials to discover mild yet useful surface modification agents. Through the application of phage display techniques, identification of polymer-binding peptides ("adhesons") are the focus of this research. Our studies in this area, including the ability to fabricate phage fibers and membranes, will be presented. Results in this area should contribute to our basic understanding of the interactions between polymeric surfaces and biomolecules, but also lead to potential applications in the area of advanced functional materials.