Controlled Deposition of a Functional Piezoelectric Ultra-Aromatic Peptide Layer

Abstract

Peptide assemblies have attracted significant attention due to their high piezoelectric performance and biocompatibility. However, since piezoelectricity is an orientation-dependent property, the alignment of these structures presents a major challenge for their use in piezoelectric applications. We recently showed an ultra-aromatic peptide derivative termed Boc−Dip−Dip to exhibit notably high piezoelectric properties. Here, by obtaining an aligned Boc−Dip−Dip array, we were able to realize the potential of the peptide to form an active piezoelectric layer. The voltage coefficient of the piezoelectric layer calculated using an in-house measurement set-up was more than 2-fold higher compared to poled polyvinylidene−fluoride, the gold standard for piezoelectric biocompatible materials. Our findings pave the way for the utilization of novel piezoelectric biomaterials, bearing the potential to replace lead-based toxic piezoelectric materials, especially in the field of bio-application.