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Updated: Jun 8, 2026
Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution
Published on: August 16, 2016
Single-Molecular Poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) Nucleus-Guided Assembly for Hydrophobicity-Dependent Molecular Transport
Jianhan Ye1,2, Juanjuan Zheng3, Xin Lu3
1Department of Chemistry, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China.
Abstract:
By combining DNA nanotechnology and solid-phase nanopore technology, the aggregation behavior of polymer guided by a single-molecular poly(propylene) (PPO) nucleus in a 3D DNA network has been studied. At low temperature, the PPO chain is evenly dispersed in the rigid 3D DNA network; at higher temperature, the PPO chain self-collapses to a single-molecular nucleus; and upon addition of amphiphilic block copolymers below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the chains tend to aggregate on the isolated hydrophobic nucleus through intermolecular hydrophobic interactions. The process has been characterized by a rheological test and an electrochemical test. This study not only provides a preliminary understanding of the nucleation and growth process of block copolymers but also offers a theoretical basis for the study of protein self-folding and aggregation in the future. On this basis, utilizing this nucleation and growth event, a novel smart nanopore has been developed for hydrophobicity-dependent molecular transport.
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