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Updated: Jan 6, 2026

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Isotope and Hydrogen-Bond Effects on the Self-Assembly of Macroions in Dilute Solution
Hui Li1, Yidan Shen1, Peng Yang2
1Department of Polymer Science, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, 44325-3909, USA.
Abstract:
We report on the disparity in the assembly behavior of four types of nano-sized macroions induced by isotopic substitution of protium (H) to deuterium (D) in solvents. Macroions with modest charge density can self-assemble into single-layer, hollow, spherical "blackberry"-type structures, with larger assembly sizes representing stronger attractions among the macroions. Kinetically, all assembly processes become slower in D2 O than in H2 O. Thermodynamically, the polyoxometalate {SrPd12 }, the uranium cage {U60 } with alkali metal counterions, and the metal-organic cationic cage {Pd12 L24 } demonstrate similar assembly sizes in both H2 O and D2 O, whereas the metal oxide cluster {Mo72 Fe30 } as a weak acid shows an unusually large assembly size in H2 O-suggesting a stronger contribution from the hydrogen bonding in the last case.
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