Bioinspired Supramolecular Nanotoroids with Aggregation-Induced Emission Characteristics
Shuang Fu1,2, Aimin Pang2, Xiang Guo2
1Center for AIE Research, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
ACS Nano
|August 12, 2022
Summary
Researchers created novel helical fluorescent nanotoroids using a self-assembly strategy. This breakthrough clarifies the formation mechanism of these complex supramolecular structures, paving the way for new applications.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular chemistry
- Materials science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Supramolecular toroids are of significant interest due to their unique topology and biological relevance.
- Constructing functional supramolecular toroids and understanding their formation mechanisms remain challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a strategy for preparing supramolecular helical fluorescent nanotoroids.
- To investigate the formation mechanism of these nanotoroids.
Main Methods:
- Cooperative self-assembly of an amino acid and a dendritic amphiphile (AIE-den-1) with aggregation-induced emission characteristics.
- Fluorescence and circular dichroism analyses for mechanistic investigation.
Main Results:
- Successfully prepared supramolecular helical fluorescent nanotoroids.
- Identified the formation mechanism involving interactions between AIE-den-1 and the amino acid.
- Observed a topological morphology transformation from nanofibers to left-handed nanotoroids via a twist-fused-loop process.
Conclusions:
- The developed strategy enables the construction of functional supramolecular helical fluorescent nanotoroids.
- The formation mechanism is elucidated through a topological transformation process.
- This work provides insights into the self-assembly of complex supramolecular architectures.
