Extraordinary Acceleration of Cogwheel Helical Self-Organization of Dendronized Perylene Bisimides by the Dendron Sequence Encoding Their Tertiary Structure

Cogwheel Mechanism of Helical Self-Organization is Thermodynamically Controlled, Self-Repairing, and Universal

The cogwheel mechanism of helical self-organization, reported by us, generates columns with the alkyl chains of their components parallel to the column axis. This mechanism disregards the enantiomeric purity of constituents and, under suitable design, provides the fastest rate of helical self-organization. Here, we investigate the supramolecular structure of a thermodynamically controlled helical self-organization system. Unexpectedly, we found that this system follows a cogwheel mechanism of helical self-organization that does not contain the two key parameters of the cogwheel mechanism: the length of the alkyl group of the self-assembling dendron identical to the helical half-pitch (hhp) of the column and the presence of chiral branches pointing toward the column center. Unpredictably, we uncovered that the presence of chiral branching points and strict alkyl chain lengths is not a requirement of the cogwheel mechanism. A self-repairing process provides access to a constant hhp via a shorter and longer alkyl chain length than the originally exact demanded value, which together with the lack of branching point(s) demonstrates the universality of the cogwheel mechanism of helical self-organization. Applications derived from this concept are envisioned.

Positions of Chiral Alkoxy Groups Responsible for Ferroelectricity in a Columnar Liquid Crystal Phase of Diphenylureas with Six Alkoxy Groups

The columnar polarization direction of ferroelectric columnar liquid crystals can be switched by applying an external electric field, and the polarization direction can be maintained, even after the electric field is removed. If the polarization direction of each column in ferroelectric columnar liquid crystals can be switched and maintained, then ultrahigh-density memory devices can be generated. Recently, we found that the columnar phase of N,N'-bis(3,4,5-tri(S)-citronellyloxyphenyl)urea (Urea-(S)-cit) shows ferroelectricity, whereas that of N,N'-bis(3,4,5-tridecyloxyphenyl)urea (Urea-10) does not. However, the mechanisms by which the six chiral alkoxy groups in Urea-(S)-cit generate ferroelectricity have not been determined. In this study, we regioselectively synthesized four diphenylurea compounds containing (S)-citronellyloxy and decyloxy groups, i.e., N,N'-bis(3,5-di((S)-citronellyloxy)-4-decyloxyphenyl)urea (1), N,N'-bis(4-((S)-citronellyloxy)-3,5-didecyloxyphenyl)urea (2), N,N'-bis(3-((S)-citronellyloxy)-4,5-didecyloxyphenyl)urea (3), and N,N'-bis(3,4-di((S)-citronellyloxy)-5-decyloxyphenyl)urea (4), and investigated which chiral alkoxy group at which position is strongly responsible for the ferroelectricity. The chiral alkoxy groups at 3- and 5-positions of the phenyl groups were clarified to play a significant role in the generation of ferroelectricity. Furthermore, a comparison of these four compounds based on circular dichroism spectroscopy and second harmonic generation experiments revealed the relationship between the helical structure order and the stability of the polarized structure.

From Frank-Kasper, Quasicrystals, and Biological Membrane Mimics to Reprogramming In Vivo the Living Factory to Target the Delivery of mRNA with One-Component Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers

This Perspective is dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of Biomacromolecules. It provides a personal view on the developing field of the polymer and biology interface over the 25 years since the journal was launched by the American Chemical Society (ACS). This Perspective is meant to bridge an article published in the first issue of the journal and recent bioinspired developments in the laboratory of the corresponding author. The discovery of supramolecular spherical helices self-organizing into Frank-Kasper and quasicrystals as models of icosahedral viruses, as well as of columnar helical assemblies that mimic rodlike viruses by supramolecular dendrimers, is briefly presented. The transplant of these assemblies from supramolecular dendrimers to block copolymers, giant surfactants, and other self-organized soft matter follows. Amphiphilic self-assembling Janus dendrimers and glycodendrimers as mimics of biological membranes and their glycans are discussed. New concepts derived from them that evolved in the in vivo targeted delivery of mRNA with the simplest one-component synthetic vector systems are introduced. Some synthetic methodologies employed during the synthesis and self-assembly are explained. Unraveling bioinspired applications of novel materials concludes this brief 25th Anniversary Perspective of Biomacromolecules.

The Constitutional Isomerism of One-Component Ionizable Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers Orchestrates the Total and Targeted Activities of mRNA Delivery

Constitutional isomerism has been previously demonstrated by one of our laboratories to represent a powerful design strategy for the elaboration of complex functional self-organizations. Here we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of 14 positional, skeletal, and functional constitutional isomeric one-component, multifunctional, sequence-defined, amphiphilic ionizable Janus dendrimers (IAJDs). Their coassembly by simple injection with luciferase mRNA (Luc-mRNA) to form dendrimersome nanoparticles (DNPs) was studied. Subsequently, the resulting DNPs were employed to investigate, with screening experiments, the delivery of Luc-mRNA in vivo. Constitutional isomerism was shown to produce changes of up to two orders of magnitude of the total-body luciferase activity and targeted luciferase activity to the spleen and liver, of up to three orders of magnitude difference in targeted luciferase activity to the lungs and up to six orders of magnitude to lymph nodes. These results indicate that constitutional isomerism may represent not only a simple but also an important synthetic strategy that most probably may impact the activity of all components of synthetic vectors used in RNA-based nanomedicine, including in mRNA vaccines and therapeutics.

Spatially Resolved Chiroptical Spectroscopies Emphasizing Recent Applications to Thin Films of Chiral Organic Dyes

Instrumental techniques able to identify and structurally characterize the aggregation states in thin films of chiral organic π-conjugated materials, from the first-order supramolecular arrangement up to the microscopic and mesoscopic scale, are very helpful for clarifying structure-property relationships. Chiroptical imaging is currently gaining a central role, for its ability of mapping local supramolecular structures in thin films. The present review gives an overview of electronic circular dichroism imaging (ECDi), circularly polarized luminescence imaging (CPLi), and vibrational circular dichroism imaging (VCDi), with a focus on their applications on thin films of chiral organic dyes as case studies.

Coatable Negative Dispersion Retarder: Kinetically Controlled Self-Assembly Pathway of Butterfly-Shaped Molecular Building Blocks for the Construction of Nanocolumns

Disc-shaped building blocks with columnar phases have attracted attention for their potential in optical applications, including a retarder. However, to achieve coatable high-performance optical films, it is essential to understand a subtle interaction balance between building blocks and relevant self-assembled behaviors during material processing. Herein, we studied a self-assembled nanocolumn evaluation of linear butterfly-shaped dendrons (T-A3D) consisting of thiophene-based conjugated core and flexible alkyl dendron. X-ray diffraction provided insight into the unique hexagonal columnar liquid crystal phase of T-A3D, driven by intermolecular hydrogen bonding and coplanarity of the thiophene-based conjugated core. The formation of a self-assembled nanocolumn with high mobility enabled the uniaxial orientation of butterfly-shaped T-A3D on the aligned rod-shaped nematic reactive mesogens, resulting in a transparent and colorless two-layered negative retarder. The self-assembled nanocolumn consisting of butterfly-shaped molecule would break a new ground for developing advanced optical thin films.

Enantiomers Self-Sort into Separate Counter-Twisted Ribbons of the Fddd Liquid Crystal─Antiferrochirality and Parachirality

The recently discovered orthorhombic liquid crystal (LC) phase of symmetry Fddd is proving to be widespread. In this work, a chiral hydroxybutyrate linkage is inserted into the molecular core of hexacatenar rodlike compounds, containing a thienylfluorenone fluorophore. In addition to more usual tools, the methods used include grazing-incidence X-ray scattering, modulated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), flash DSC with rates up to 6000 K/s, and chiro-optical spectroscopies using Mueller matrix method, plus conformational mapping. Although pure R and S enantiomers form only a strongly chiral hexagonal columnar LC phase (Colh*), the racemic mixture forms a highly ordered Fddd phase with 4 right- and 4 left-handed twisted ribbon-like columns traversing its large unit cell. In that structure, the two enantiomers locally deracemize and self-sort into the columns of their preferred chirality. The twisted ribbons in Fddd, with a 7.54 nm pitch, consist of stacked rafts, each containing ∼2 side-by-side molecules, the successive rafts rotated by 17°. In contrast, an analogous achiral compound forms only the columnar phase. The multiple methods used gave a comprehensive picture and helped in-depth understanding not only of the Fddd phase but also of the "parachiral" Colh* in pure enantiomers with irregular helicity, whose chirality is compared to the magnetization of a paramagnet in a field. Unusual short-range ordering effects are also described. An explanation of these phenomena is proposed based on conformational analysis. Surprisingly, the isotropic-columnar transition is extremely fast, completing within ∼20 ms. A clear effect of phase on UV-vis absorption and emission is observed.

Screening Libraries to Discover Molecular Design Principles for the Targeted Delivery of mRNA with One-Component Ionizable Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers Derived from Plant Phenolic Acids

Viral and synthetic vectors to deliver nucleic acids were key to the rapid development of extraordinarily efficient COVID-19 vaccines. The four-component lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), containing phospholipids, PEG-conjugated lipids, cholesterol, and ionizable lipids, co-assembled with mRNA via a microfluidic technology, are the leading nonviral delivery vector used by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna to access COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. LNPs exhibit a statistical distribution of their four components when delivering mRNA. Here, we report a methodology that involves screening libraries to discover the molecular design principles required to realize organ-targeted mRNA delivery and mediate activity with a one-component ionizable multifunctional amphiphilic Janus dendrimer (IAJD) derived from plant phenolic acids. IAJDs co-assemble with mRNA into monodisperse dendrimersome nanoparticles (DNPs) with predictable dimensions, via the simple injection of their ethanol solution in a buffer. The precise location of the functional groups in one-component IAJDs demonstrated that the targeted organs, including the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and lung, are selected based on the hydrophilic region, while activity is associated with the hydrophobic domain of IAJDs. These principles, and a mechanistic hypothesis to explain activity, simplify the synthesis of IAJDs, the assembly of DNPs, handling, and storage of vaccines, and reduce price, despite employing renewable plant starting materials. Using simple molecular design principles will lead to increased accessibility to a large diversity of mRNA-based vaccines and nanotherapeutics.

Stimuli-Responsive Principles of Supramolecular Organizations Emerging from Self-Assembling and Self-Organizable Dendrons, Dendrimers, and Dendronized Polymers

All activities of our daily life, of the nature surrounding us and of the entire society and its complex economic and political systems are affected by stimuli. Therefore, understanding stimuli-responsive principles in nature, biology, society, and in complex synthetic systems is fundamental to natural and life sciences. This invited Perspective attempts to organize, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time the stimuli-responsive principles of supramolecular organizations emerging from self-assembling and self-organizable dendrons, dendrimers, and dendronized polymers. Definitions of stimulus and stimuli from different fields of science are first discussed. Subsequently, we decided that supramolecular organizations of self-assembling and self-organizable dendrons, dendrimers, and dendronized polymers may fit best in the definition of stimuli from biology. After a brief historical introduction to the discovery and development of conventional and self-assembling and self-organizable dendrons, dendrimers, and dendronized polymers, a classification of stimuli-responsible principles as internal- and external-stimuli was made. Due to the enormous amount of literature on conventional dendrons, dendrimers, and dendronized polymers as well as on their self-assembling and self-organizable systems we decided to discuss stimuli-responsive principles only with examples from our laboratory. We apologize to all contributors to dendrimers and to the readers of this Perspective for this space-limited decision. Even after this decision, restrictions to a limited number of examples were required. In spite of this, we expect that this Perspective will provide a new way of thinking about stimuli in all fields of self-organized complex soft matter.

Circularly Polarized Laser Emission from Homochiral Superstructures based on Achiral Molecules with Conformal Flexibility

Without external chiral intervention, it is a challenge to form homochirality from achiral molecules with conformational flexibility. We here report on a rational strategy that uses multivalent noncovalent interactions to clamp the molecular conformations of achiral D-A molecules. These interactions overcome the otherwise dominant dipole-dipole interactions and thus disfavor their symmetric antiparallel stacking. It in turn facilitates parallel packing, leading to spontaneous symmetry breaking during crystallization and thus the formation of homochiral conglomerates. When this emergent homochirality is coupled with optical gain characteristics of the molecules, the homochiral crystals are explored as excellent circularly polarized micro-lasers with low lasing threshold (16.4 μJ cm^-2 ) and high dissymmetry factor g_lum (0.9). This study therefore provides a facile design strategy for supramolecular chiral materials and active laser ones without the necessity of intrinsic chiral element.

Heterochiral Diastereomer-Discriminative Diphanes That Form Hierarchical Superstructures with Nonlinear Optical Properties

In order to study the emergence of homochirality during complex molecular systems, most works mainly concentrated on the resolution of a pair of enantiomers. However, the preference of homochiral over heterochiral isomers has been overlooked, with very limited examples focusing only on noncovalent interactions. We herein report on diastereomeric discrimination of twin-cavity cages (denoted as diphanes) against heterochiral tris-(2-aminopropyl)amine (TRPN) bearing triple stereocenters. This diastereomeric selectivity results from distinct spatial orientation of reactive secondary amines on TRPN. Homochiral TRPNs with all reactive moieties rotating in the same way facilitate the formation of homochiral and achiral meso diphanes with low strain energy, while heterochiral TRPNs with uneven orientation of secondary amines preclude the formation of cage-like entity, since the virtual diphanes exhibit considerably high strain. Moreover, homochiral diphanes self-assemble into an acentric superstructure composed of single-handed helices, which exhibits interesting nonlinear optical behavior. Such a property is a unique occurrence for organic cages, which thus showcases their potential to spawn novel materials with interesting properties and functions.

The Unexpected Importance of the Primary Structure of the Hydrophobic Part of One-Component Ionizable Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers in Targeted mRNA Delivery Activity

Viral and synthetic vectors for delivery of nucleic acids impacted genetic nanomedicine by aiding the rapid development of the extraordinarily efficient Covid-19 vaccines. Access to targeted delivery of nucleic acids is expected to expand the field of nanomedicine beyond most expectations. Both viral and synthetic vectors have advantages and disadvantages. The major advantage of the synthetic vectors is their unlimited synthetic capability. The four-component lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are the leading nonviral vector for mRNA used by Pfizer and Moderna in Covid-19 vaccines. Their synthetic capacity inspired us to develop a one-component multifunctional sequence-defined ionizable amphiphilic Janus dendrimer (IAJD) delivery system for mRNA. The first experiments on IAJDs provided, through a rational-library design combined with orthogonal-modular accelerated synthesis and sequence control in their hydrophilic part, some of the most active synthetic vectors for the delivery of mRNA to lung. The second experiments employed a similar strategy, generating, by a less complex hydrophilic structure, a library of IAJDs targeting spleen, liver, and lung. Here, we report preliminary studies designing the hydrophobic region of IAJDs by using dissimilar alkyl lengths and demonstrate the unexpectedly important role of the primary structure of the hydrophobic part of IAJDs by increasing up to 90.2-fold the activity of targeted delivery of mRNA to spleen, lymph nodes, liver, and lung. The principles of the design strategy reported here and in previous publications indicate that IAJDs could have a profound impact on the future of genetic nanomedicine.

A case of antiferrochirality in a liquid crystal phase of counter-rotating staircases

Helical structures continue to inspire, prompted by examples such as DNA double-helix and alpha-helix in proteins. Most synthetic polymers also crystallize as helices, which relieves steric clashes by twisting, while keeping the molecules straight for their ordered packing. In columnar liquid crystals, which often display useful optoelectronic properties, overall helical chirality can be induced by inclusion of chiral chemical groups or dopants; these bias molecular twist to either left or right, analogous to a magnetic field aligning the spins in a paramagnet. In this work, however, we show that liquid-crystalline columns with long-range helical order can form by spontaneous self-assembly of straight- or bent-rod molecules without inclusion of any chiral moiety. A complex lattice with Fddd symmetry and 8 columns per unit cell (4 right-, 4 left-handed) characterizes this "antiferrochiral" structure. In selected compounds it allows close packing of their fluorescent groups reducing their bandgap and giving them promising light-emitting properties.

Merging Supramolecular and Covalent Helical Polymers: Four Helices Within a Single Scaffold

Supramolecular and covalent polymers share multiple structural effects such as chiral amplification, helical inversion, sergeants and soldiers, or majority rules, among others. These features are related to the axial helical structure found in both types of materials, which are responsible for their properties. Herein a novel material combining information and characteristics from both fields of helical polymers, supramolecular (oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene) (OPE)) and covalent (poly(acetylene) (PA)), is presented. To achieve this goal, the poly(acetylene) must adopt a dihedral angle between conjugated double bonds (ω1) higher than 165°. In such cases, the tilting degree (Θ) between the OPE units used as pendant groups is close to 11°, like that observed in supramolecular helical arrays of these molecules. Polymerization of oligo[(p-phenyleneethynylene)n]phenylacetylene monomers (n = 1, 2) bearing L-decyl alaninate as the pendant group yielded the desired scaffolds. These polymers adopt a stretched and almost planar polyene helix, where the OPE units are arranged describing a helical structure. As a result, a novel multihelix material was prepared, the ECD spectra of which are dominated by the OPE axial array.

An Accelerated Modular-Orthogonal Ni-Catalyzed Methodology to Symmetric and Nonsymmetric Constitutional Isomeric AB2 to AB9 Dendrons Exhibiting Unprecedented Self-Organizing Principles

Five libraries of natural and synthetic phenolic acids containing five AB₃, ten constitutional isomeric AB₂, one AB₄, and one AB₅ were previously synthesized and reported by our laboratory in 5 to 11 steps. They were employed to construct seven libraries of self-assembling dendrons, by divergent generational, deconstruction, and combined approaches, enabling the discovery of a diversity of supramolecular assemblies including Frank-Kasper phases, soft quasicrystals, and complex helical organizations, some undergoing deracemization in the crystal state. However, higher substitution patterns within a single dendron were not accessible. Here we report three libraries consisting of 30 symmetric and nonsymmetric constitutional isomeric phenolic acids with unprecedented sequenced patterns, including two AB₂, three AB₃, eight AB₄, five AB₅, six AB₆, three AB₇, two AB₈, and one AB₉ synthesized by accelerated modular-orthogonal Ni-catalyzed borylation and cross-coupling. A single etherification step with 4-(n-dodecyloxy)benzyl chloride transformed all these phenolic acids, of interest also for other applications, into self-assembling dendrons. Despite this synthetic simplicity, they led to a diversity of unprecedented self-organizing principles: lamellar structures of interest for biological membrane mimics, helical columnar assemblies from rigid-solid angle dendrons forming Tobacco Mosaic Virus-like assemblies, columnar organizations from adaptable-solid angle dendrons forming disordered micellar-like nonhelical columns, columns from supramolecular spheres, five body-centered cubic phases displaying supramolecular orientational memory, rarely encountered in previous libraries forming predominantly Frank-Kasper phases, and two Frank-Kasper phases. Lessons from these self-organizing principles, discovered within a single generation of self-assembling dendrons, may help elaborate design principles for complex helical and nonhelical organizations of synthetic and biological matter.

Water-Soluble Supramolecular Polymers of Paired and Stacked Heterocycles: Assembly, Structure, Properties, and a Possible Path to Pre-RNA

The hypothesis that RNA and DNA are products of chemical and biological evolution has motivated our search for alternative nucleic acids that may have come earlier in the emergence of life-polymers that possess a proclivity for covalent and non-covalent self-assembly not exhibited by RNA. Our investigations have revealed a small set of candidate ancestral nucleobases that self-assemble into hexameric rosettes that stack in water to form long, twisted, rigid supramolecular polymers. These structures exhibit properties that provide robust solutions to long-standing problems that have stymied the search for a prebiotic synthesis of nucleic acids. Moreover, their examination by experimental and computational methods provides insight into the chemical and physical principles that govern a particular class of water-soluble one-dimensional supramolecular polymers. In addition to efficient self-assembly, their lengths and polydispersity are modulated by a wide variety of positively charged, planar compounds; their assembly and disassembly are controlled over an exceedingly narrow pH range; they exhibit spontaneous breaking of symmetry; and homochirality emerges through non-covalent cross-linking during hydrogel formation. Some of these candidate ancestral nucleobases spontaneously form glycosidic bonds with ribose and other sugars, and, most significantly, functionalized forms of these heterocycles form supramolecular structures and covalent polymers under plausibly prebiotic conditions. This Perspective recounts a journey of discovery that continues to reveal attractive answers to questions concerning the origins of life and to uncover the principles that control the structure and properties of water-soluble supramolecular polymers.

Chiroptical Properties in Thin Films of π-Conjugated Systems

Chiral π-conjugated molecules provide new materials with outstanding features for current and perspective applications, especially in the field of optoelectronic devices. In thin films, processes such as charge conduction, light absorption, and emission are governed not only by the structure of the individual molecules but also by their supramolecular structures and intermolecular interactions to a large extent. Electronic circular dichroism, ECD, and its emission counterpart, circularly polarized luminescence, CPL, provide tools for studying aggregated states and the key properties to be sought for designing innovative devices. In this review, we shall present a comprehensive coverage of chiroptical properties measured on thin films of organic π-conjugated molecules. In the first part, we shall discuss some general concepts of ECD, CPL, and other chiroptical spectroscopies, with a focus on their applications to thin film samples. In the following, we will overview the existing literature on chiral π-conjugated systems whose thin films have been characterized by ECD and/or CPL, as well other chiroptical spectroscopies. Special emphasis will be put on systems with large dissymmetry factors (g_abs and g_lum) and on the application of ECD and CPL to derive structural information on aggregated states.