Self-assembly of supra-amphiphiles based on dual charge-transfer interactions: from nanosheets to nanofibers

Biomimetic molecular organization of naphthalene diimide in the solid state: tunable (chiro-) optical, viscoelastic and nanoscale properties

Biomimetic molecular organization of naphthalene diimide in the solid state: tunable (chiro-) optical, viscoelastic and nanoscale properties.

An enzyme-responsive supra-amphiphile constructed by pillar[5]arene/acetylcholine molecular recognition

A novel molecular recognition motif between a water-soluble pillar[5]arene (WP5) and acetylcholine is established with an association constant of (5.05 ± 0.13) × 10⁴ M⁻¹.

25th anniversary article: reversible and adaptive functional supramolecular materials: "noncovalent interaction" matters

Supramolecular materials held together by noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, host-guest interactions, and electrostatic interactions, have great potential in material science. The unique reversibility and adaptivity of noncovalent intreractions have brought about fascinating new functions that are not available by their covalent counterparts and have greatly enriched the realm of functional materials. This review article aims to highlight the very recent and important progresses in the area of functional supramoleuclar materials, focusing on adaptive mechanical materials, smart sensors with enhanced selectivity, soft luminescent and electronic nanomaterials, and biomimetic and biomedical materials with tailored structures and functions. We cannot write a complete account of all the interesting work in this area in one article, but we hope that it can in a way reflect the current situation and future trends in this prosperously developing area of functional supramolecular materials.

Supramolecular glycolipid based on host-enhanced charge transfer interaction

Supramolecular glycolipid has been fabricated based on ternary complex system, which is composed of naphthyl glucosamine (GlcNap), alkyl viologen (RV8), and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). CB[8] plays a key role to connect the other two building blocks together, and the process is driven by host-enhanced charge transfer interaction. Compared with the classic glycolipids, supramolecular glycolipids display redox responsiveness. Supramolecular glycolipids are able to self-assemble in water to form spherical aggregations, such as vesicle like structure. In addition, spherical aggregations can specifically interact with Concanavalin A, indicating that the carbohydrate groups are available on the surfaces of the aggregates.

Growth mechanisms of 2D organic assemblies generated from dialkylated melaminium derivatives: the length difference of the two alkyl chains that matters

This research is aimed to understand the growth mechanisms for self-assembly of dialkylated melamine derivatives. The dialkylated melamine derivatives with different alkyl chains (Mela-m-n) are able to self-assemble with hydrochloric acid in dichloromethane to form 2D organic assemblies, exhibiting similar lamellar structures as Mela-n·HCl with identical alkyl chains. The most interesting finding is that the growth mechanism of Mela-n·HCl with identical alkyl chains is revealed to be layer growth, while Mela-m-n·HCl with asymmetric alkyl chains adopts a spiral growth mechanism. The asymmetric alkyl chains in Mela-m-n may lead to the formation of dislocation, which is responsible for the spiral growth mechanism.

Spirocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-based organic nanosheets for eco-friendly aqueous processed thin-film non-volatile memory devices

Supramolecular steric hindrance designs make pyrene-functionalized spiro[fluorene-9,7'-dibenzo[c,h]acridine]-5'-one (Py-SFDBAO) assemble into 2D nanostructures that facilitate aqueous phase large-area synthesis of high-quality and uniform crystalline thin films. Thin-film diodes using aqueous nanosheets as active layers exhibit a non-volatile bistable electrical switching feature with ON/OFF ratios of 6.0 × 10(4) and photoswitching with conductive gains of 10(2) -10(3). Organic nanosheets are potentially key components for eco-friendly aqueous dispersed organic nano-inks in the application of printed and flexible electronics.

Enzyme-responsive polymeric supra-amphiphiles formed by the complexation of chitosan and ATP

Chitosan and adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) are employed as building blocks to fabricate polymeric supra-amphiphiles based on electrostatic interactions, which can self-assemble to form spherical aggregates. The spherical aggregates inherit the phosphotase responsiveness of ATP. Compared to our previous work, this enzyme-responsive system can be more biocompatible and block polymers are not needed in preparation, which makes it possible to fabricate the chitosan-based enzyme-responsive assemblies in a large-scale, cheap way. Therefore, the application of the assemblies for nanocontainers and drug delivery is greatly anticipated.