Deconstructing collagen piezoelectricity using alanine-hydroxyproline-glycine building blocks

摘要: Collagen piezoelectricity has been the focus of a large number experimental and theoretical studies for over fifty years. Less is known about piezoelectric properties its building blocks, in particular but not limited to, proline hydroxyproline. Spurred by recent upsurge interest organic crystals including our own report unprecedentedly high amino acid glycine, we predict measure collagen subcomponents single crystalline forms collagen-like alanine-hydroxyproline-glycine trimer peptide. We map modulation charge constants blocks as crystal symmetry lowered molecule size increases, finding strong evidence acid-level barcoding that can turn be tuned using very simple chemistry. The addition an -OH group increase up to two orders magnitude (d25 = 25 ± 5 pC N-1) measured Y-cut hydroxyproline crystals. value similar obtained from thermoelectrically poled commercial polyvinylidene di fluoride (PVDF) films. Overall, findings support block approach which first principles calculations guide understanding re-engineering biomolecules.