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Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
Published on: February 6, 2020
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Solution Self-Assembly of Chalcogen-Bonding Polymer Partners.
Rongjin Zeng1, Zehao Gong1, Liang Chen1
1State Key Lab of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
ACS Macro Letters
|June 2, 2022
Summary
Researchers explored chalcogen bonds for macromolecular self-assembly. They created polymers that form tubular and spherical structures via chalcogen-chalcogen interactions, controlling assembly with binding affinity.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Polymer Science
- Materials Chemistry
Background:
- Chalcogen bonding is a recognized noncovalent interaction.
- Its application in driving macromolecular self-assembly is largely unexplored.
- Developing new methods for controlled polymer assembly is crucial for advanced materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of chalcogen bonds in directing macromolecular self-assembly.
- To synthesize and characterize novel chalcogen-bonding donor and acceptor polymers.
- To explore the relationship between chalcogen bond strength and resulting assembly morphology.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of poly(4-vinylphenyl chalcogenide) (P4VCh) donor polymers (Ch=Te, Se).
- Synthesis of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine N-oxide) (PEO-b-P4VO) acceptor polymers.
- Self-assembly studies in THF/H2O solution, analyzing structures via microscopy and spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- P4VCh and PEO-b-P4VO polymers form donor-acceptor noncovalent complexes.
- These complexes self-assemble into tubular and spherical structures driven by interchain Te···O and Se···O chalcogen bonds.
- Variations in binding affinity and mixing ratios allow for tunable assembly dimensionality and morphology.
Conclusions:
- Chalcogen bonding can effectively drive macromolecular self-assembly.
- The strength of chalcogen bonds dictates the geometry of the resulting assemblies.
- This work opens new avenues for designing complex polymer architectures through noncovalent interactions.
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