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The aggregation of two de novo designed surfactant-like peptides, with sequences Ac-IIKKEENN-OH (P1) and Ac-IIEENNDD-OH (P2), has been studied in aqueous solution at various pH values using titration, Circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that aggregates of P1 and P2 both display 5 pK(a)'s, some of which differ considerably from the tabulated values for those amino acids. In particular, a lysine of P1 titrated to 4.939 +/- 0.066. CD spectra of P1 were insensitive to pH, while CD spectra of P2 demonstrated a random coil-to-beta-sheet transition as pH was decreased. AFM images confirmed that P1 aggregates were spheres at all pH values and ranged in size from 3 to 20 nm. On the other hand, P2 aggregates were twisted ribbons below pH 4 but spheres less than 10 nm above pH 4. In addition, AFM images demonstrated the partial breakup of these twisted ribbons upon elevating the pH from 3.03 to 3.46 and the virtual disappearance of ribbons at pH 3.82. FTIR spectra of P2 indicate a structural transition from random coil to beta-sheet as pH was decreased. The role of backbone hydrogen bonding as well as charge is discussed.

We report on a series of experiments on the aqueous, nematic liquid crystalline phase of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and their ordered assemblies on the solid substrates. The nanotubes were dispersed at a low concentration of isotropic phase, and the concentration was gradually increased by the controlled evaporation of water. In-situ isotropic-to-liquid crystalline phase transition via a biphasic region was observed during water evaporation. Drying on a substrate demonstrated the effect of surface fields on the order and alignment of SWNTs in the liquid suspension and the influence on the structure of the deposited nanotubes after evaporation.

This paper considers the feasibility of replacing indium tin oxide (ITO) with spin-coated, polymer-based composite films that are filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The coating mixture consists of a solvent with low volatility, a dissolved thermoplastic polymer, and MWNTs. The high aspect ratio of MWNTs and their good electrical conductivity enable electrical percolation at very low concentrations, so that films can be prepared that conduct electricity while retaining good optical transparency. Although the MWNTs are driven to aggregate by Van der Waals interactions, the high viscosity of the polymer/solvent solution enables the preparation of metastable, homogeneous dispersions. However, exposing the mixtures to shear leads to aggregation, the magnitude of which depends on the duration of the shear. This effect could be observed directly in spin-coated films using both optical microscopy and conductivity measurements, with aggregation causing a drop in conductivity at high nanotube loading, and more complex non-monotonic behavior at concentrations approaching the percolation threshold.