This version is available at https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/55388/ Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the research output of the University of Strathclyde. Unless otherwise explicitly stated on the manuscript, Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Please check the manuscript for details of any other licences that may have been applied. You may not engage in further distribution of the material for any profitmaking activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or private study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the ABSTRACTWe 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 (Fmoc-tyrosine-leucine, 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.

Computational prediction of tripeptide-dipeptide co-assembly In this work, we describe the development of a computational screening approach for tripeptide-dipeptide co-assembly. Studies are carried out both in water and in oil-water mixtures, to evaluate possible candidates that give rise to hydrogels or more stable emulsions, respectively, through nanofibre formation. The results give rise to design rules for the identification of promising systems for numerous types of soft materials. The possibility of achieving innovative functional materials through the co-assembly of tripeptides and dipeptides is studied. In particular, coarse-grained simulations allowed for the extraction of some promising dipeptides that, together with H-aspartyl-phenylalanyl-phenylalanine-OH (DFF), are able to act as hydrogelators or emulsifiers with superior characteristics relative to DFF on its own.

This version is available at https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/60875/ Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the research output of the University of Strathclyde. Unless otherwise explicitly stated on the manuscript, Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Please check the manuscript for details of any other licences that may have been applied. You may not engage in further distribution of the material for any profitmaking activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or private study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the Strathprints administrator: strathprints@strath.ac.ukThe Strathprints institutional repository (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk) is a digital archive of University of Strathclyde research outputs. It has been developed to disseminate open access research outputs, expose data about those outputs, and enable the management and persistent access to Strathclyde's intellectual output.Biocatalytic self-assembly of tripeptide gels and ABSTRACT. We report on the biocatalytic activation of an (unprotected) self-assembling tripeptide to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions on-demand. This is achieved by conversion of a phosphorylated precursor into a hydrogelator using alkaline phosphatase as the trigger. The rate of conversion, controlled by the amount of enzyme used, is shown to play a key role in dictating the morphology of the nanofibrous networks produced. When these amphiphilic tripeptides are used in biphasic mixtures, nanofibers are shown to self-assemble at the aqueous/organic interface but also throughout the surrounding buffer, thereby stabilizing the oil-in-water droplet dispersions. The use of enzymatic activation of tripeptide emulsions gives rise to enhanced control of the emulsification process since emulsions can be stabilized ondemand by simply adding alkaline phosphatase. In addition, control over the emulsion stabilization can be achieved by taking advantage of the kinetics of de-phosphorylation and consequent formation of different stabilizing nanofibrous networks at the interface and/or at the aqueous environment. This approach can be attractive for various cosmetics, food or biomedical applications since both tunability of tripeptide emulsion stability and on-demand stabilization of emulsions can be achieved.

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Different types of heating systems have been developed lately, representing a growing interest in both the academic and industrial sectors. Based on the Joule effect, fibrous structures can produce heat once an electrical current is passed, whereby different approaches have been followed. For that purpose, materials with electrical and thermal conductivity have been explored, such as carbon-based nanomaterials, metallic nanostructures, intrinsically conducting polymers, fibers or hybrids. We review the usage of these emerging nanomaterials at the nanoscale and processed up to the macroscale to create heaters. In addition to fibrous systems, the creation of composite systems for electrical and thermal conductivity enhancement has also been highly studied. Different techniques can be used to create thin film heaters or heating textiles, as opposed to the conventional textile technologies. The combination of nanoscale and microscale materials gives the best heating performances, and some applications have already been proven, even though some effort is still needed to reach the industry level.