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Updated: May 24, 2026

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides
Published on: November 21, 2013
A POSS-based supramolecular amphiphile and its hierarchical self-assembly behaviors
Binbin Jiang1, Wei Tao, Xin Lu
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, P R China.
Abstract:
A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-based supramolecular amphiphile is prepared from the host-guest inclusion complexation between a mono adamantane-functionalized POSS (AD-POSS) and a β-cyclodextrin oligomer (P(β-CD)). Assisted by the interface of H(2)O/toluene, the obtained supramolecular hybrids self-assemble into stable hollow nanospheres with thick walls. These hollow nanospheres aggregate together into a sphere layer through a spin coating technique, which then further transforms into a thin porous film containing nanometer-scale holes. The hollow nanospheres have a low cytotoxicity. The in vitro cell culture indicates the nanoporous films promote adhesion and proliferation of cells. The self-assembly morphologies and structures have been carefully characterized by SEM, TEM, AFM, DLS, XPS and water-contact angle measurements, and the self-assembly mechanism has also been discussed.
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