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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Controlled supramolecular oligomerization of C3-symmetrical molecules in water: the impact of hydrophobic shielding
Pol Besenius1, Kelly P van den Hout, Harald M H G Albers
1Institute for Complex Molecular Systems and Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The supramolecular oligomerization of three water-soluble C(3)-symmetrical discotic molecules is reported. The compounds all possess benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide cores and peripheral Gd(III)-DTPA (diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid) moieties, but differ in their linker units and thus in their propensity to undergo secondary interactions in H(2)O. The self-assembly behavior of these molecules was studied in solution using circular dichroism, UV/Vis spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The aggregation concentration of these molecules depends on the number of secondary interactions and on the solvophobic character of the polymerizing moieties. Hydrophobic shielding of the hydrogen-bonding motif in the core of the discotic is of paramount importance for yielding stable, helical aggregates that are designed to be restricted in size through anti-cooperative, electrostatic, repulsive interactions.
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