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Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: October 24, 2017
Complex Energy Landscapes of Self-Assembled Vesicles
Jiabin Luan1, Danni Wang1, Shaohua Zhang1
1Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The field of supramolecular chemistry has witnessed tremendous progress in bringing the system away from equilibrium for traditionally inaccessible structures and functions. Vesicular assemblies with complex energy landscapes and pathways, which are reminiscent of diverse cellular vesicles like exosomes, remain exceedingly rare. Here, relying on the activation of oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) interdigitation and the encoded conformational freedom in monodisperse Janus dendrimers, we reveal a rich landscape and a pathway selection of distinct vesicles. The interdigitation can be selectively switched on and off using temperature ramps, and the critical temperatures can be further determined by molecular design. Our findings suggest that synthetic vesicles, with different energy states and unexpected transition pathways, emulate dynamic cellular vesicles in nature. We anticipate that vesicles with an activated OEG corona conformation will open new routes for nanomedicine and advanced materials.
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