Tell and Ulijn, Rein V. (2016) Enzymatically activated emulsions stabilised by interfacial nanofibre networks. Soft Matter, 12 (9). ABSTRACT We report on the on-demand formation of emulsions stabilized by interfacial nanoscale networks by biocatalytic self-assembly of Fmoc (9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl) dipeptide amphiphiles in aqueous/organic mixtures. The use of an alkaline phosphatase to transform phosphorylated precursors into self-assembling aromatic peptide amphiphiles

more »

... , Fmoc-YL) provides a route to trigger self-assembly of nanofibrous networks and gels. In biphasic organic/aqueous systems, these networks form preferentially at the interface. This gives rise to the possibility of on-demand activation of emulsifying ability, producing switchable emulsions that may be activated by enzyme addition, even after storage of the biphasic mixture for several weeks. Experimental (Fluorescence and FTIR spectroscopy) and computational techniques (Atomistic Molecular Dynamics) are combined to show that the self-assembly process of Fmoc-YL occurs through aromatic interactions and hydrogen bonding to generate an interfacial nanofibrous network. Fmoc-YpL Fmoc-YL Aqueous media Organic droplet