Peptide molecules self-assemble into honeycomb structures

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, the University of Ulm, and Ulm University Hospital have discovered that tiny molecules called peptides can self-assemble into water-filled, honeycomb-like fibers.

The study, published in the journal Nature, reveals that the instructions for this complex structure are contained within a very short sequence of just nine amino acids. By understanding how these brief sequences dictate the formation of much larger, ordered materials, scientists can establish new rules for building organized structures from short molecular chains. This discovery also provides a new method for studying water at extremely confined scales.