Organic ferroelectric materials hold significant potential in sustainable energy conversion, information storage, flexible electronics, and biomedical applications such as soft implants. However, their development is limited by the lack of mature design strategies compared to inorganic systems, with few known examples in solid-state systems. Inspired by biology, supramolecular chemistry offers a new approach to constructing water-processable and biocompatible functional nanostructures. This study reports a supramolecular charge-transfer system: amphiphilic molecules were constructed by covalently linking peptide chains to electron donor–acceptor pairs, which self-assembled into nanoscale ribbon-like structures in water. The chirality-induced symmetry breaking in these crystalline nanostructures not only generated second harmonic generation activity but also enabled ferroelectric behavior across multiple charge-transfer systems, providing a universal supramolecular strategy for designing novel organic ferroelectric materials. Moreover, in primary neuron cell culture experiments, ferroelectric-coated surfaces promoted axon growth and enhanced action potentials, indicating that the polar structure of ferroelectric nanomaterials contributes to improved neuronal maturation. This supramolecular strategy holds promise for developing novel water-processable ferroelectric biomaterials, opening avenues for innovative applications such as cellular charge transfer, neuronal axon growth, peptide symmetry breaking, self-assembled peptides, supramolecular ferroelectrics, cell proliferation, and bioelectronics.

Summary

A groundbreaking discovery with potential for neural repair: researchers at Northwestern University, led by Professor Samuel I. Stupp, have developed a new class of "donor–acceptor peptide amphiphiles" that self-assemble into ordered nanoribbons in water and exhibit stable ferroelectric properties. Published in Advanced Materials, their work reveals how peptide chirality is used to break molecular symmetry, inducing ferroelectricity in otherwise symmetric charge-transfer systems.

Remarkably, this material isn’t just a feat of physics and chemistry. When mouse primary cortical neurons were cultured on ferroelectric nanocoatings, they showed enhanced axon growth, larger neural networks, and higher action potential amplitudes—indicating greater maturity. The researchers suggest that the spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric surface may create concentration gradients of biomolecules or ions, mimicking the natural environment and promoting neuronal development.

This research not only offers a new strategy for designing water-processable organic ferroelectric materials, but also opens exciting possibilities for developing bioactive, power-free neural repair materials and bioelectronic devices that interact actively with biological systems.

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202514940
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