Stimuli-responsive supramolecular nanocapsules from amphiphilic calixarene assembly

We synthesized tetrameric amphiphilic molecules based on a calixarene building block that self-assembles into a tunable and stable aggregation structure in aqueous solution. The amphiphilic calixarene molecules with a small hydrophilic part were observed to assemble into a vesicular structure that decreases significantly in diameter with only small increases in the hydrophilic chain length. Further increasing the chain length induced the collapse of the vesicles into spherical micelles. Remarkably, the vesicles were also observed to transform into small globular micelles at lower pH, which can be used to trigger the release of the encapsulated hydrophilic guest molecules.