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Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides

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Periodic Borromean rings, rods and chains.

Michael O'Keeffe¹, Michael M J Treacy²

¹School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.

Acta Crystallographica. Section A, Foundations and Advances

|November 23, 2023

Summary

This study details novel periodic polycatenane structures using interlocked rings, including hexagonal Borromean rings and unique triangular assemblies. These findings expand the understanding of complex molecular architectures and their potential applications.

Keywords:

Borromean property edge-transitive family polycatenanes ring-transitive family vertex-transitive family

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Area of Science:

Supramolecular Chemistry
Materials Science
Topology

Background:

Polycatenanes are complex molecular architectures composed of interlocked rings.
Understanding the synthesis and properties of periodic polycatenanes is crucial for developing advanced materials.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe novel periodic polycatenane structures.
To detail vertex-, edge-, and ring-transitive families of hexagonal Borromean rings.
To identify new isonemal and unique Borromean assemblies.

Main Methods:

Detailed description of 2-periodic hexagonal Borromean ring families.
Analysis of how these families generate 1- and 3-periodic isonemal families.
Identification of a second isonemal 2-periodic family and a unique 3-periodic Borromean assembly of equilateral triangles.

Main Results:

Description of 2-periodic vertex-, edge-, and ring-transitive hexagonal Borromean rings.
Derivation of 1- and 3-periodic isonemal families from hexagonal Borromean rings.
Identification of a unique 3-periodic Borromean assembly of equilateral triangles and a novel 'quasi-Borromean' structure.

Conclusions:

The study presents a comprehensive description of various periodic polycatenane structures.
New families of isonemal and Borromean assemblies have been identified.
The findings contribute to the field of topological chemistry and the design of complex molecular architectures.