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Peptides as biological semiconductors

A simple peptide that assembles into desirable nanoscale structures is a striking example of how the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. What's more, the assembly process is controllably reversible.

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Figure 1: Simple dipeptides are building blocks for quantum dots and nanotubes.

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Hauser, C., Zhang, S. Peptides as biological semiconductors. Nature 468, 516–517 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468516a

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