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Pinjari A, Saraf D, Sengupta D. Molecular mechanisms underlying nanowire formation in pristine phthalocyanine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:30259-30268. [PMID: 37927067 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03512c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the molecular processes of nanowire self-assembly is crucial for designing and controlling nanoscale structures that could lead to breakthroughs in functional materials. In this work, we focus on pristine phthalocyanines as a representative example of mesogenic supramolecular assemblies and have analyzed the formation of nanowires using classical molecular dynamics simulations. In the simulations, the molecules spontaneously form multi-columnar structures resembling supramolecular polymers that subsequently grow into more ordered aggregates. These self-assemblies are concentration dependent, leading to the formation of multi-columnar, dynamic aggregates at higher concentrations and nanowires at lower concentrations. The multi-columnar assemblies on a whole are more disordered than the nanowires, but have locally ordered domains of parallel facing molecules that can fluctuate while maintaining their overall shape. The nanowire formation at lower concentrations involves the initial interaction and clustering of randomly oriented phthalocyanine molecules, followed by the merging of small clusters into elongated segments and the eventual formation of a stable nanowire. We observe three main conformers in these self-assemblies, the parallel, T-shaped and edge-to-edge stacking of the phthalocyanine dimers. We calculate the underlying free energy landscape and show that the parallel conformers form the most stable configuration which is followed by the T-shaped and edge-to-edge dimer configurations. The findings provide insights into the mechanisms and pathways of nanowire formation and a step towards the understanding of self-assembly processes in supramolecular mesogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aadil Pinjari
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India.
| | - Deepashri Saraf
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India.
| | - Durba Sengupta
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201 002, India
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2
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Kompella SVK, Balasubramanian S. Supramolecular Polymerization of a Pyrene-Substituted Diamide and Its Ensemble of Kinetically Trapped Configurations. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202310727. [PMID: 37725396 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of kinetically accessible states in supramolecular polymerization pathways has been exploited to control the growth of the polymer and thereby to obtain niche morphologies. Yet, these pathways themselves are not easily amenable for experimental delineation but could potentially be understood through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Herein, we report an extensive investigation of the self-assembly of pyrene-substituted diamide (PDA) monomers in solution, conducted using atomistic MD simulations and advanced sampling methods. We characterize such kinetic and thermodynamic states as well as the transition pathways and free energy barriers between them. PDA forms a dimeric segment with the N- to C-termini vectors of the diamide moieties arranged either in parallel or anti-parallel fashion. This characteristic, combined with the molecule's torsional flexibility and pyrene-solvent interactions, presents an ensemble of molecular configurations contributing to the kinetic state in the polymerization pathway. While this ensemble primarily comprises short oligomers containing a mix of anti-parallel and parallel dimeric segments, the thermodynamic state of the assembly is a right-handed polymer featuring parallel ones only. Our work thus offers an approach by which the landscape of any specific supramolecular polymerization can be deconstructed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinath V K Kompella
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore, 560064, India
| | - Sundaram Balasubramanian
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore, 560064, India
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3
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Venugopal A, Ruiz-Perez L, Swamynathan K, Kulkarni C, Calò A, Kumar M. Caught in Action: Visualizing Dynamic Nanostructures Within Supramolecular Systems Chemistry. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202208681. [PMID: 36469792 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202208681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Supramolecular systems chemistry has been an area of active research to develop nanomaterials with life-like functions. Progress in systems chemistry relies on our ability to probe the nanostructure formation in solution. Often visualizing the dynamics of nanostructures which transform over time is a formidable challenge. This necessitates a paradigm shift from dry sample imaging towards solution-based techniques. We review the application of state-of-the-art techniques for real-time, in situ visualization of dynamic self-assembly processes. We present how solution-based techniques namely optical super-resolution microscopy, solution-state atomic force microscopy, liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations and other emerging techniques are revolutionizing our understanding of active and adaptive nanomaterials with life-like functions. This Review provides the visualization toolbox and futuristic vision to tap the potential of dynamic nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akhil Venugopal
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Calle Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorena Ruiz-Perez
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Calle Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - K Swamynathan
- Soft Condensed Matter, Raman Research Institute, C. V. Raman Avenue, Sadashivanagar, Bangalore-560080, India.,Department of Chemistry, NITTE Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
| | - Chidambar Kulkarni
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai-400076, India
| | - Annalisa Calò
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Calle Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Electronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Barcelona, Calle Marti i Fraquès 1-11, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mohit Kumar
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Calle Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Calle Marti i Fraquès 1-11, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
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Ślęczkowski ML, Mabesoone MFJ, Preuss MD, Post Y, Palmans ARA, Meijer EW. Helical bias in supramolecular polymers accounts for different stabilities of kinetically trapped states. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20220036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcin L. Ślęczkowski
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Mathijs F. J. Mabesoone
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
- Institute of Microbiology Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Marco D. Preuss
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Yorick Post
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Anja R. A. Palmans
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - E. W. Meijer
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
- School of Chemistry and the UNSW RNA Institute University of New South Wales Sydney Australia
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5
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Piskorz T, de Vries AH, van Esch JH. How the Choice of Force-Field Affects the Stability and Self-Assembly Process of Supramolecular CTA Fibers. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:431-440. [PMID: 34812627 PMCID: PMC8757428 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, computational methods have become an essential element of studies focusing on the self-assembly process. Although they provide unique insights, they face challenges, from which two are the most often mentioned in the literature: the temporal and spatial scale of the self-assembly. A less often mentioned issue, but not less important, is the choice of the force-field. The repetitive nature of the supramolecular structure results in many similar interactions. Consequently, even a small deviation in these interactions can lead to significant energy differences in the whole structure. However, studies comparing different force-fields for self-assembling systems are scarce. In this article, we compare molecular dynamics simulations for trifold hydrogen-bonded fibers performed with different force-fields, namely GROMOS, CHARMM General Force Field (CGenFF), CHARMM Drude, General Amber Force-Field (GAFF), Martini, and polarized Martini. Briefly, we tested the force-fields by simulating: (i) spontaneous self-assembly (none form a fiber within 500 ns), (ii) stability of the fiber (observed for CHARMM Drude, GAFF, MartiniP), (iii) dimerization (observed for GROMOS, GAFF, and MartiniP), and (iv) oligomerization (observed for CHARMM Drude and MartiniP). This system shows that knowledge of the force-field behavior regarding interactions in oligomer and larger self-assembled structures is crucial for designing efficient simulation protocols for self-assembling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz
K. Piskorz
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Delft University
of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands
| | - A. H. de Vries
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute
for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan H. van Esch
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Delft University
of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands
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Wang H, Zheng X. Theoretical Study of Macrocyclic Host Molecules: From Supramolecular Recognition to Self-Assembly. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:19011-19028. [DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02152h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Supramolecular chemistry focuses on molecular recognition and self-assembly of various building blocks through weak non-covalent interactions, including anion-π, hydrogen bond (HB), hydrophobic interactions, van der Waals (vdW) interactions, etc, which...
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Korlepara DB, Balasubramanian S. Dipolar relaxation in thin films of supramolecular stacks of benzenecarboxamides and insights to enhance their ferroelectric characteristics. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:3152-3159. [PMID: 33496287 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05239f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between molecular structure and ferroelectric behaviour of thin films is explored in an all-organic supramolecular polymer material based on benzenecarboxamides, using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. While increasing the number of amide groups around the phenyl core increases the dipole density of a molecule, increasing the length of the corresponding alkyl groups decreases the same. The interplay between these two contributions displays a rich behaviour on key material characteristics, in particular, the polarisation retention time. The latter is shown to be inversely proportional to the alkyl chain length, a consequence of weaker interactions between macrodipoles of stacks. Polarisation retention time was observed to be the highest in a molecule with five amide groups around the aromatic phenyl core which is explained as due to the large barrier for amide group rotation, which is one of the crucial channels for dipolar relaxation. Simulations also demonstrate that the barrier, however, does not affect the switchability of polarization, upon field reversal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya B Korlepara
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P. O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Sundaram Balasubramanian
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P. O., Bangalore 560064, India.
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Korlepara DB, Henderson WR, Castellano RK, Balasubramanian S. Differentiating the mechanism of self-assembly in supramolecular polymers through computation. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:3773-3776. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cc01058k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The mechanism by which monomers in solution, beyond a certain concentration or below a certain temperature, self-assemble to form one dimensional supramolecular polymers determines much of the bulk properties of the polymer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya B. Korlepara
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
- Bangalore
- India
| | - Will R. Henderson
- George & Josephine Butler Polymer Research Laboratory
- Center for Macromolecular Science & Engineering
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Florida
- Gainesville
| | - Ronald K. Castellano
- George & Josephine Butler Polymer Research Laboratory
- Center for Macromolecular Science & Engineering
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Florida
- Gainesville
| | - Sundaram Balasubramanian
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
- Bangalore
- India
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Yamamoto T, Arefi H, Shanker S, Sato H, Hiraoka S. Self-Assembly of Nanocubic Molecular Capsules via Solvent-Guided Formation of Rectangular Blocks. J Phys Chem Lett 2018; 9:6082-6088. [PMID: 30274518 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b02624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the mechanism underlying the self-assembly of gear-shaped amphiphilic molecules into a highly ordered nanocubic capsule ("nanocube") in aqueous methanol. Simulation results show that the solvent molecules play a significant role in the assembly process by directing the primitive intermediates to orthogonal/rectangular shapes, thus creating appropriate building blocks for cubic assembly while avoiding off-pathway stacked aggregates. Free-energy analyses reveal that the interplay of the direct intermonomer interaction and the solvent-mediated repulsion between large aromatic cores (via preferential solvation of methanol on hydrophobic surfaces) leads to the strong trend for perpendicular binding of monomers and hence the solvent-guided formation of rectangular blocks. Furthermore, we report the self-assembly simulation of the nanocube using replica exchange with solute tempering and demonstrate that the simulation can predict a highly ordered nanocapsule structure, assembly intermediates, and encapsulated molecules, which helps promote computer-aided design of functional molecular self-assemblies in explicit solvent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Yamamoto
- Department of Chemistry , Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University , Kyoto 606-8502 , Japan
| | - Hadi Arefi
- Department of Chemistry , Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University , Kyoto 606-8502 , Japan
| | - Sudhanshu Shanker
- Department of Chemistry , Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University , Kyoto 606-8502 , Japan
| | - Hirofumi Sato
- Department of Molecular Engineering , Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University , Kyoto 615-8510 , Japan
| | - Shuichi Hiraoka
- Department of Basic Science , Graduate School of Arts and Science, The University of Tokyo , Tokyo 153-8902 , Japan
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