Forced peptide synthesis in nanoscale confinement under elastomeric stamps

Pressing a rubber stamp inked with carboxylic acids onto an amine-terminated surface leads to the formation of amide bonds at room temperature (see scheme). Oligopeptides were created on the surface in this way from a monolayer. This rapid and uncatalyzed formation of amide bonds is attributed to the nano-scale confinement of the molecules between the stamp and the preorganized monolayer substrate. PDMS = poly(dimethylsiloxane).