Influence of the synthesis conditions of gold nanoparticles on the structure and architectonics of dipeptide composites

A wide variety of peptides and their natural ability to self-assemble makes them very promising candidates for the fabrication of solid-state devices based on nano- and mesocrystals. In this work, we demonstrate an approach to form peptide composite layers with gold nanoparticles through in situ reduction of chloroauric acid trihydrate by dipeptide and/or dipeptide/formaldehyde mixture in the presence of potassium carbonate at different ratios of components. Appropriate composition of components for the synthesis of highly stable gold colloidal dispersion with particle size of 34–36 nm in dipeptide/formaldehyde solution is formulated. Infrared spectroscopy results indicate that dipeptide participates in the reduction process, conjugation with gold nanoparticles and the self-assembly in 2D, which accompanied by changing peptide chain conformations. The structure and morphology of the peptide composite solid layers with gold nanoparticles on gold, mica and silica surfaces are characterized by atomic force microscopy. In these experiments, the flat particles, dendrites, chains, mesocrystals and Janus particles are observed depending on the solution composition and the substrate/interface used. The latter aspect is studied on the molecular level using computer simulations of individual peptide chains on gold, mica and silica surfaces.