Programmable Assembly of Multistranded Helices in Water

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Sequence-specific conformational changes are vital for biological processes but challenging to replicate synthetically.
• Controlling the dynamic behavior of molecular assemblies is key for advanced materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple method for encoding structural and dynamic information into molecular strand sequences.
• To demonstrate programmable self-assembly of oligo(m-phenylene ethynylene) strands.

Main Methods:

• Designing oligo(m-phenylene ethynylene) strands with hydrophobic phenylene and charged pyridinium residues.
• Investigating self-assembly into double and triple helices based on sequence.
• Controlling helical state transitions using concentration, temperature, and anionic molecules.

Main Results:

• The primary sequence of molecular strands reliably dictates the formation of specific helical structures (e.g., double helix).
• Dynamic assemblies, including double and triple helices, can be formed and interconverted.
• External stimuli like concentration, temperature, and anions modulate the helical state transitions.

Conclusions:

• A minimal sequence-based design strategy enables programmable control over supramolecular helix formation and dynamics.
• This approach provides a foundation for creating adaptive supramolecular systems with tunable structure and function.