화학공학소재연구정보센터
Langmuir, Vol.31, No.28, 7738-7748, 2015
Hydrogen-Bonded Multifunctional Supramolecular Copolymers in Water
We have investigated the self-assembly in water of molecules having a Single hydrophobic iris urea domain linked to different hydrophilic functional side chains, i.e., bioactive peptidic residues and fluorescent cyanine dyes. By using 4 combination Of spectroscopy, scattering, and microscopy, techniques, we show that each one Of these molecules can individually produce well-defined nanostructures such as twisted ribbons, two-dimensional plates, or branched fibers. Interestingly, when these monomers of different functionalities are mixed in an equimolar ratio, supramolecular copolymers are preferred to narcissistic segregation. Radiation scattering and imaging techniques demonstrate that one of the molecular units dictates the formation of a preferential nanostructure, and optical spectroscopies reveal the alternated nature of the copolymerization process. This work illustrates how social self sorting in H-bond supramolecular polymers can give straightforward access to multifunctional supramolecular copolymers.