Nanotubes and bilayers in a model peptide system
The trifluoroacetate (tfa) salt of the peptide (ala)(6)lys self-assembles in water into very long, hollow nanotubes with a radius R = 26 nm, above a critical aggregation concentration (volume fraction), phi(cac) = 0.10. The peptides carry a net positive charge that ensures colloidal stability of the self-assembly structures through a long-range electrostatic repulsion. There is only a weak tempera