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Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Supramolecular Tubule from Seesaw Shaped Amphiphile and Its Hierarchical Evolution into Sheet
Haonan Sun1, Longlong Dong1, Yongju Kim2
1State Key Lab for Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
Abstract:
Although supramolecular one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) structures with various unique properties have been extensively studied, the reversible switching between tubules and sheets via lateral association remains challenging. Here, we report the unique structures of a supramolecular tubular bamboo culm in which the hollow-tubular interior is separated, at intervals, by nodes per 1.3 nm. Interestingly, the discrete tubules are able to hierarchically assemble into a flat sheet in response to an aromatic guest. The addition of trans-azobenzene, as a guest, enables the tubules to form a hierarchical sheet assembly via the lateral interaction. The hierarchical sheet structures are disassembled into their constituent tubules upon UV irradiation due to trans-cis isomerization. The recovery from cis-azobenzene to trans-form induces repeatedly the hierarchical sheet assembly, indicative of a reversible switching behavior between tubules and sheets triggered by an external stimulus.
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