Self-Assembled Monolayers: Bioinspired Catechol-Terminated Self-Assembled Monolayers with Enhanced Adhesion Properties (Small 8/2014)

Bioinspired catechol-terminated self-assembled monolayers with enhanced adhesion properties

The role of the catechol moiety in the adhesive properties of mussel proteins and related synthetic materials has been extensively studied in the last years but still remains elusive. Here, a simplified model approach is presented based on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of upward-facing catechols thiol-bound to epitaxial gold substrates. The orientation of the catechol moieties is confirmed by spectroscopy, which also showed lack of significant amounts of interfering o-quinones. Local force-distance curves on the SAM measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows an average adhesion force of 45 nN, stronger than that of a reference polydopamine coating, along with higher reproducibility …

Symmetry: Friend or foe?

While symmetry in molecules or supramolecular complexes is desirable from the design point of view and affords simpler NMR spectra, the study of symmetrical species by NMR is often subject to ambiguities resulting from signal degeneracy. In this paper we shall discuss different ways of breaking symmetry in order to obtain additional structural information by NMR.