J. Strzalka et al., X-ray scattering studies of maquette peptide monolayers. 2. Interferometryat the vapor/solid interface, LANGMUIR, 17(4), 2001, pp. 1193-1199
We apply X-ray interferometry to study the profile structure of Langmuir-Bl
odgett (LB) monolayers containing maquette peptides, de novo di-alpha -heli
cal synthetic peptides designed as model systems for studying biological el
ectron transfer. The results demonstrate that it is possible to create mono
layers with the peptide vectorially oriented with its helical ards (the dir
ection of electron transfer within the holopeptide) approximately normal to
the surface of the solid support. This orientation can even be achieved wh
en the orientation of the peptide in the precursor Langmuir film at the air
/water interface is parallel to the surface, indicating that reorganization
of the monolayer can occur during or after LB deposition. Though issues re
garding the low density of the film and variability between samples remain
to be addressed, the work represents an important step toward future correl
ated functional/structural studies of these peptides.