Spectral Transition in Bio-Inspired Self-Assembled Peptide Nucleic Acid Photonic Crystals.

Berger, Or; Yoskovitz, Eyal; Adler-Abramovich, Lihi; Gazit, Ehud · Adv Mater · 2016

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The self-assembly of guanine-based peptide nucleic acid monomers into photonic crystals is described. A highly reflective lattice of guanine nanocrystals is found in the skin and ocular tissues of different species providing vivid structural colors. The fabricated guanine-based supramolecular structures respond to changes in osmolarity similar to the active spectral change mechanism employed by chameleons.

Medical subject headings