A pyrene-functionalized foldamer: structural impact and recognition properties supported by donor-acceptor...

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Organic Synthesis
• Photophysics

Background:

• Foldamers are synthetic oligomers that mimic protein secondary structures.
• Oligopyridine biscarboxamide scaffolds offer versatile platforms for foldamer design.
• Pyrene units are known for their photophysical properties and potential in molecular recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel electroactive and luminescent foldamer.
• To investigate the influence of peripheral pyrene units on foldamer conformation.
• To explore the recognition capabilities of the foldamer towards electron-withdrawing molecules.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of an oligopyridine biscarboxamide foldamer.
• Solid-state characterization techniques (e.g., X-ray crystallography).
• Spectroscopic analysis (UV-Vis, fluorescence) to study molecular interactions.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and characterization of the target foldamer.
• Peripheral pyrene units significantly influence the foldamer's solid-state conformation.
• The foldamer exhibits recognition for electron-withdrawing molecules.
• This recognition leads to tunable spectroscopic properties.

Conclusions:

• The designed foldamer possesses both electroactive and luminescent properties.
• Conformational control and molecular recognition are achieved through peripheral pyrene functionalization.
• The foldamer's spectroscopic properties can be modulated by guest binding.