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Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Preparation of Light-responsive Membranes by a Combined Surface Grafting and Postmodification Process
Published on: March 21, 2014
Selenium-containing heterodimeric crown ether acting as an unconventional multi-responsive amphiphile in water
Jie Shang1, Shuangran Li, Tiezheng Pan
1Sino-German Joint Research Lab for Space Biomaterials and Translational Technology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710072, China. qi@nwpu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
A new heterodimeric crown amphiphile was fabricated, wherein the oxacrown and selencrown ethers provided the desired molecular framework for hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity, respectively. From an integrated perspective, the developed amphiphile possesses features of crown ethers, amines, and selenium-containing species, and its assembly in water can be responsive to diverse chemical effectors-H2O2 and CO2 in a switchable ON/OFF mode to achieve controlled release. It is the first case wherein the applications of cyclic polyethers with different solubilities drives the self-assembly in an aqueous medium.
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