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Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Opposing Phase-Segregation and Hydrogen-Bonding Forces in Supramolecular Polymers
Senbin Chen1, Tingzi Yan2, Matthias Fischer2
1Institute of Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Danckelmann-Platz 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Abstract:
Phase segregation between different macromolecules and specific weak interactions are the basis of molecular organization in many biological systems, which are held together by attractive hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) and dissociated by phase segregation. We report significant changes in the association behavior of covalent H-bonds by the phase of attached polymer chains. Depending on the aggregation state, we observed either intact H-bonds despite segregation of the phases, or macrophase separation with a larger amount of H-bonding dissociation.
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