LAUSR

Abstract A new pyrene-functionalized polytyrosine (pyrene-PTyr) by using l -tyrosine- N -carboxyanhydride as monomer synthesized through simple ring-opening polymerization with 1,6-diaminopyrene (pyrene-2NH 2 ) as the initiator. UV–Vis absorption spectra revealed that the absorption maxima of pyrene-2NH 2 and pyrene-PTyr were correlated to the solvent polarity. The photophysical properties of pyrene-2NH 2 and pyrene-PTyr were investigated using photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, which revealed that pyrene-2NH 2 displayed aggregation-caused quenching behavior, which transformed to aggregation-induced emission after incorporation into the rigid rod chains of polytyrosine. In addition, pyrene-PTyr could be blended with poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) to form supramolecular pyrene-PTyr/P4VP systems stabilized through hydrogen bonding. Thermal analyses revealed, through the appearance of the single T g behavior, that all of the pyrene-PTyr/P4VP blends were completely miscible. FTIR spectral analyses revealed strong hydrogen bonding between in pyrene-PTyr/P4VP blends. Moreover, X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the secondary structure for pyrene-PTyr converted from the β-sheet to the random coil conformation after intermolecularly hydrogen bonding with P4VP. Furthermore, photographs, PL spectra, and transmission electron microscopy images indicated that the pyrene-PTyr polypeptide was an effective dispersant for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), stabilized through strong π-stacking between the pyrene units of pyrene-PTyr and the surfaces of the MWCNTs.