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Updated: May 14, 2026
16:24
Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Supramolecular switching between flat sheets and helical tubules triggered by coordination interaction
Suyong Shin1, Sunhee Lim, Yongju Kim
1Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Korea.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|January 30, 2013
Summary
Researchers created switchable sheets from aromatic amphiphiles. These sheets reversibly transform into helical tubules or dimeric macrocycles in response to silver ions and concentration changes.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular chemistry
- Materials science
Background:
- Aromatic amphiphiles are key building blocks for self-assembled nanostructures.
- Controlling the morphology of self-assembled structures is crucial for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the spontaneous formation of switchable sheets from bent-shaped aromatic amphiphiles.
- To investigate the reversible transformation of these sheets into helical tubules and dimeric macrocycles.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing bent-shaped aromatic amphiphiles with m-pyridine terminals and a hydrophilic dendron.
- Employing π-π stacking interactions for sheet formation.
- Leveraging reversible coordination interactions with Ag(I) ions for morphological switching.
Main Results:
- Spontaneous formation of flat sheets with a zigzag conformation in aqueous solution.
- Reversible transformation of sheets into helical tubules at higher concentrations.
- Reversible transformation of sheets into dimeric macrocycles at lower concentrations, induced by Ag(I) ions.
- Concentration-dependent reversible transformation between helical tubules and dimeric macrocycles.
Conclusions:
- Bent-shaped aromatic amphiphiles can self-assemble into switchable supramolecular architectures.
- The reversible coordination with Ag(I) ions provides a mechanism for controlling nanostructure morphology.
- This study demonstrates a novel approach for designing responsive and switchable materials.
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