Self-assembled lipid nanotube hosts: The dimension control for encapsulation of nanometer-scale guest substances

Supramolecular nanotube hosts with precisely controlled inner or outer diameters have been synthesized by self-assembly of unsymmetrical bolaamphiphilic monomers or glucopyranosylamide lipids, respectively. Time-resolved fluorescent measurement using 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate (ANS) as a probe revealed that the water confined in a cardanyl-β-D -glucopyranoside lipid nanotube has relatively lower solvent polarity corresponding to that of propanol than bulk water. Extensively developed hydrogen bond networks also characterize the confined water in comparison to the case in bulk water. Encapsulation ability of the glucopyranosylamide lipid nanotube has been examined by filling the lyophilized LNTs with gold or silver nanoparticles, ferritin, or magnetic crystals. Filling the unsymmetrical bolaamphiphile nanotube possessing positively charged inner surfaces with negatively charged polymer beads or ferritin proved to be successful without depending on capillary action. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5137–5152, 2006