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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Directed Assembly of Elastin-like Proteins into defined Supramolecular Structures and Cargo Encapsulation In Vitro
Published on: April 8, 2020
Supramolecular assemblies of a nitrogen-embedded buckybowl dimer with C60
Hiroki Yokoi1, Satoru Hiroto1, Daisuke Sakamaki2
1Department of Molecular and Macromolecular Chemistry , Graduate School of Engineering , Nagoya University , Furo-cho , Chikusa-ku , Nagoya , Aichi 464-8603 , Japan . Email: hiroto@chembio.nagoya-u.ac.jp ;
Abstract:
A directly connected azabuckybowl dimer was synthesized via a palladium-catalysed C-H/C-Br coupling. The electron-donating nature of the pyrrolic nitrogen atoms of the azabuckybowl enabled a strong complexation with pristine C60. In the presence of two equivalents of C60, the azabuckybowl dimer formed crystals with a 1 : 2 stoichiometry. Conversely, in diluted solution, complexes with a 1 : 1 stoichiometry of the dimer and C60 were detected predominantly, and these precipitated upon increasing the concentration of C60. Scanning electron microscopy images of the precipitate showed fibre-like aggregates, indicating the formation of supramolecular assemblies with 1D chain structures. A variable-temperature 1H NMR analysis revealed that the precipitate consists of the dimer and C60 in a 1 : 1 ratio.
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