A novel thermo-responsive multiblock architecture composed of a sequential peptide and an amino acid-derived vinyl polymer: toward protein-mimicking single-chain folding

Abstract

A novel multiblock architecture composed of an alternating β-sheet forming oligopeptide and a thermo-responsive glycine-derived vinyl polymer was synthesized. The polymer exhibited lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior in water, unlike the behavior of a glycine-derived homopolymer, and formed nanoparticles through protein-mimicking folding driven by thermal cycle-induced β-sheet formation.