Self-Assembly of a β-Peptide Foldamer: The Role of the Surfactant in Three-Dimensional Shape Selection.

The effect of a small ionic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), on the self-assembly of a β-peptide has been systematically studied by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, selected area electron diffraction, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The latter study suggested that the formation of asymmetric microcrystals may be due to the preferential adsorption of CTAB on {011} and (001) crystal faces. This work provides a plausible rationale for the characteristic 3D morphogenesis of foldectures and elucidates the interaction between the surfactant and organic building block molecules.