Secondary structure-induced aggregation by hydrogen peroxide: a stimuli-triggered open/close implementation by...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Sensing

Background:

• Developing facile and cost-effective methods for fabricating reactive aggregation nanomaterials is crucial.
• Existing methods for creating such advanced nanomaterials are limited and require further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize ultra-long hybrid polymer nanorods (NRs) through a simple self-assembly process.
• To investigate the potential of these NRs for sensitive colorimetric detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂).
• To explore the stimuli-responsive morphological transformation and aggregation behavior of the NRs.

Main Methods:

• Self-assembly of a phenylboronic acid modified genistein crosslinker (Ge-di(HMPBA-pin)) and d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 (TPGS).
• Colorimetric detection of H₂O₂ using the synthesized nanorods.
• Observation of morphological transformation from nanorods to micelles triggered by H₂O₂.
• Induction of aggregation of various nanoparticles, ions, and molecules upon H₂O₂ presence.

Main Results:

• Exquisite and ultra-long (>2 μm) hybrid polymer nanorods were successfully fabricated.
• The nanorods demonstrated quantitative and sensitive colorimetric detection of H₂O₂ with a low detection limit.
• Hydrogen peroxide triggered a morphological transformation to micelles, inducing aggregation of diverse materials (Au NPs, MoS₂ QDs, Cu²⁺, ferritin, TPE).
• A stimuli-triggered, switchable complexation and colorimetric transition system was achieved in vitro.

Conclusions:

• This study presents a novel approach for creating reactive aggregation nanomaterials via self-assembly.
• The developed system showcases unprecedented secondary structure-induced aggregation, offering a unique sensing mechanism.
• The findings highlight the immense potential for designing diverse sensing systems using trigger-specific, sacrifice-aggregated building moieties.