Supramolecular chiral self-assemblies of Gly–Pro dipeptides on metallic fcc(110) surfaces

Abstract

Adsorption of the Glycine–Proline (Gly–Pro) dipeptide has been investigated using surface science complementary techniques on Au(110) and Ag(110), showing some interesting differences both in the chemical form and surface organization of the adsorbed peptide. On Au(110), Gly–Pro mainly adsorbs in neutral form (COOH/NH₂), at low coverage or for a short interaction time; the surface species become zwitterionic at a higher coverage or longer interaction time. These changes are accompanied by a complete reorganization of the molecules at the surface. On Ag(110), only anionic molecules (COO⁻/NH₂) were detected on the surface and only one type of arrangement was observed. These results will be compared to some previously obtained on Cu(110), thus providing a unique comparison of the adsorption of the same di-peptide on three different metal surfaces; the great influence of the substrate on both the chemical form and the arrangement of adsorbed di-peptides was made clear.