Title
Superstructure Formation and Topological Evolution Achieved by Self-Organization of a Highly Adaptive Dynamer
Author
Pengyao Xing, Hongzhong Chen, Linyi Bai, Aiyou Hao, Yanli Zhao
Year
2016
Journal
ACS Nano
Abstract
The adaptive property of supramolecular building blocks facilitates noncovalent synthesis of soft materials. While it is still a challenging task, fine-tuning and precise control over topological nanostructures constructed from the self-assembly of low-molecular-weight building blocks are an important research direction to investigate the structure–property relationship. Herein, we report controlled self-assembly evolution of a low-molecular-weight building block bearing cholesterol and naphthalene-dicarboximide moieties, showing ultrasensitivity to solvent polarity. In low-polarity solvents (<4), it could form an M-type fiber-constituted organogel (supergel) with high solvent content, columnar molecular packing, and self-healing property. Highly polar solvents (>7.8) favor the formation of P-type helical nanostructures terminated by nanotoroids, having lamellar molecular packing. With a further increase in solvent polarity (up to 9.6), unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles were generated, which could undergo an aggregation-induced fusion process to form branched nanotubes tuned by the concentration. Self-attractive interactions between aggregates were found to be responsible for the formation of superstructures including helix–nanotoroid junctions as well as membrane-fused nanotubes.
Full Article
Instrument
J-810
Keywords
Circular dichroism, Nanostructures, Vesicle interactions, Materials