(136b) Self-Assembly of "Hairy" Biomacromolecular Membranes Using an Aqueous-Aqueous Interface

Hierarchical self-assembly occurs ubiquitously in nature to form biomolecular materials with structure and function from nano to meso to macroscopic length scales. Here, we describe a dynamic self-assembly process which utilizes the supramolecular interaction between polysaccharides and peptide amphiphiles at an aqueous-aqueous interface to form membranes with perpendicularly aligned features. Through rational molecular design, we show that the chemical structure of the peptide amphiphile directs the self-assembly mechanism towards one of two regimes, resulting in vastly different membrane structure and properties. We investigate our system using molecular simulations, which identify the key role of interaction strength in directing the self-assembly process. Furthermore, we show the effect of membrane morphology on therapeutic function in anti-cancer applications.