Supramolecular polymer coatings based on peptide self-assembly

Many industrial coatings lack responsiveness and recyclability. In this project, we aim to develop responsive bio-based coatings to be “smart” alternatives. External stimuli (pH, ions, oxygen, or mechanical stress) can cause structural changes to the coatings and thus induce a visible color change. Moreover these coatings can act as a selective permeable membrane for chemicals or gases like H₂O, O₂, etc. The responsiveness of the polymer coatings can be tailored by modifying the assembly protocol and finetuning of the building block structures. Taking advantage of the modularity of our coatings that contain hydrophobic polymers, peptidic motifs, and sensitizing units, we can easily design various types of novel responsive, and recyclable coatings.