A 3D-polyphenylalanine network inside porous alumina: Synthesis and characterization of an inorganic–organic composite membrane

• Jonathan Stott and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 938–951, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.78

• Abstract Surface functionalization of porous materials allows for the introduction of additional functionality coupled with high mechanical stability of functionalized inner pores. Herein, we investigate the surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization (SI-ROP) of phenylalanine-N-carboxyanhydride (PA-NCA

• ; polyphenylalanine; porous alumina membranes; surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization (SI-ROP); Introduction Porous materials with functional surfaces are a topic of immense interest in science and technology. The high surface area and high mechanical stability of such materials allows for applications in

• applications. The most common route to graft polypeptides on surfaces is the surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization (SI-ROP) of α-aminoacid-N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). Dense polypeptide films consisting of poly(γ-benzyl-ʟ-glutamate), polylysine or polyphenylalanine with thickness in the range between