Nanotube confinement denatures protein helices.

Eric J. Sorin and Vijay S. Pande.
JACS (2006)

ABSTRACT: In striking contrast to simple polymer physics theory, which does not account for solvent effects, we find that physical confinement of solvated biopolymers decreases solvent entropy, which in turn leads to a reduction in the organized structural content of the polymer. Since our theory is based on a fundamental property of water-protein statistical mechanics, we expect it to have broad implications in many biological and material science contexts.