In this study, we employed thiolated peptides of the conformationally constrained, strongly helicogenic alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) residue to prepare self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surfaces. Electrochemistry and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy support the formation of very well packed Aib-peptide SAMs. The immobilized peptides retain their helical structure, and the resulting SAMs are stabilized by a network of intermolecular H bonds involving the NH groups adjacent to the Au surface. Binary SAMs containing a synthetically defined glycosylated mannose-functionalized Aib-peptide as the second component display similar features, thereby providing reproducible substrates suitable for the controlled display of bioactive carbohydrate ligands. The efficiency of such Aib-based SAMs as a biomolecular recognition platform was evidenced by examining the mannose-concanavalin A interaction via surface plasmon resonance biosensing.
