Specific interfaces between synthetic polymers and biologically identified peptides

Investigations into the interfaces between synthetic polymers and biomolecules are important in the biomedical materials field. Over the past decade, combinatorial biotechnologies such as the phage display and cell-surface display methods, in which random peptide libraries are displayed on phage bodies and cell surfaces, have been utilized to identify oligopeptides that specifically recognize the surfaces of artificial materials. The resulting peptides were chemically and biotechnologically utilized as novel functional nanomaterials. In this article, our recent progress in the identification and applications of polymer-binding peptides is reviewed. We show that various nanostructures of synthetic polymers can be the specific targets of biologically identified peptides, and that the peptides can be utilized in polymer science and technology.