Hydrogen‐Bonding‐Regulated Supramolecular Nanostructures and Impact on Multivalent Binding

Herein we describe the H‐bonding‐regulated nanostructure, thermodynamics, and multivalent binding of two bolaamphiphiles NDI‐1 and NDI‐2 consisting of a hydrophobic naphthalene diimide connected to a hydrophilic wedge by a H‐bonding group and a glucose moiety on its two arms. NDI‐1 and NDI‐2 differ by the single H‐bonding group, namely, hydrazide or amide, which triggers the formation of vesicles and cylindrical micelles, respectively. Although the extended H‐bonding ensures stacking with head‐to‐head orientation and the formation of an array of the appended glucose moieties in both systems, the adaptive cylindrical structure exhibited superior multivalent binding with concanavalin A (ConA) to that of the vesicle. A control amphiphile lacking a H‐bonding group assembled with a random lateral orientation to produce spherical micelles without any notable multivalent binding.     

Hydrogen‐Bonding‐Mediated Vesicular Assembly of Functionalized Naphthalene–Diimide‐Based Bolaamphiphile and Guest‐Induced Gelation in Water

This paper describes the spontaneous vesicular assembly of a naphthalene–diimide (NDI)‐based non‐ionic bolaamphiphile in aqueous medium by using the synergistic effects of π‐stacking and hydrogen bonding. Site isolation of the hydrogen‐bonding functionality (hydrazide), a strategy that has been adopted so elegantly in nature, has been executed in this system to protect these moieties from the bulk water so that the distinct role of hydrogen bonding in the self‐assembly of hydrazide‐functionalized NDI building blocks could be realized, even in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the electron‐deficient NDI‐based bolaamphiphile could engage in donor–acceptor (D–A) charge‐transfer (CT) interactions with a water‐insoluble electron‐rich pyrene donor by virtue of intercalation of the latter chromophore in between two NDI building blocks. Remarkably, even when pyrene was located between two NDI blocks, intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding networks between the NDI‐linked hydrazide groups could be retained. However, time‐dependent AFM studies revealed that the radius of curvature of the alternately stacked D–A assembly increased significantly, thereby leading to intervesicular fusion, which eventually resulted in rupturing of the membrane to form 1D fibers. Such 2D‐to‐1D morphological transition produced CT‐mediated hydrogels at relatively higher concentrations. Instead of pyrene, when a water‐soluble carboxylate‐functionalized pyrene derivative was used as the intercalator, non‐covalent tunable in‐situ surface‐functionalization could be achieved, as evidenced by the zeta‐potential measurements.     

Spectroscopic investigation of the adsorption mechanisms of polyacrylamide polymers onto iron oxide particles

The mechanisms of high-molecular-weight polyacrylamide nonionic homopolymer and 25 mol% anionic acrylate-substituted copolymer adsorption onto iron oxide particles were investigated via DRIFT and UV-vis spectroscopies at three pH values (6, 8.5, and 11). While electrostatic interactions play an important role in charged polymer adsorption, this information is not spectroscopically available. At pH values above and below pH 8.5 (the isoelectric point for the anionic polymer), bidentate chelation and hydrogen bonding were the main adsorption mechanisms. At the isoelectric point, monodentate chelation was observed to be the main mode of adsorption, along with hydrogen bonding. For the nonionic polymer, in all cases, hydrogen bonding through the carbonyl group was the main mode of adsorption. The adsorption of both polymers conformed well to the Freundlich model, suggesting that the adsorbed polymer amount increases with increasing polymer concentration up to 7500 g/t solid, rather than approaching monolayer coverage. Spectroscopic evidence was found to suggest that hydrolysis of nonionic polyacrylamide occurs at high pH.     

Stimuli‐Responsive Self‐Assembly of a Naphthalene Diimide by Orthogonal Hydrogen Bonding and Its Coassembly with a Pyrene Derivative by a Pseudo‐Intramolecular Charge‐Transfer Interaction

A naphthalene diimide (NDI) building block containing hydrazide (H1) and hydroxy (H2) groups self‐assembled into a reverse‐vesicular structure in methylcyclohexane by orthogonal H‐bonding and π‐stacking. At an elevated temperature (LCST=43 °C), destruction of the assembled structure owing to selective dissociation of H2–H2 H bonding led to macroscopic precipitation. Further heating resulted in homogeneous redispersion of the sample at 70 °C (UCST) and the formation of a reverse‐micellar structure. In the presence of a pyridine (H3)‐functionalized pyrene (PY) donor, a supramolecular dyad (NDI–PY) was formed by H2–H3 H‐bonding. Slow transformation into an alternate NDI–PY stack occurred by a folding process due to the charge‐transfer interaction between NDI and PY. The mixed NDI–PY assembly exhibited a morphology transition from a reverse micelle (with a NDI–PY mixed‐stack core) below the LCST to another reverse micelle (with a NDI core) above the UCST via a “denatured” intermediate.     

Biocatalytic Self‐Assembly of Supramolecular Charge‐Transfer Nanostructures Based on n‐Type Semiconductor‐Appended Peptides

The reversible in situ formation of a self‐assembly building block (naphthalenediimide (NDI)–dipeptide conjugate) by enzymatic condensation of NDI‐functionalized tyrosine ( NDI‐Y ) and phenylalanine‐amide ( F‐NH₂ ) to form NDI‐YF‐NH₂ is described. This coupled biocatalytic condensation/assembly approach is thermodynamically driven and gives rise to nanostructures with optimized supramolecular interactions as evidenced by substantial aggregation induced emission upon assembly. Furthermore, in the presence of di‐hydroxy/alkoxy naphthalene donors, efficient charge‐transfer complexes are produced. The dynamic formation of NDI‐YF‐NH₂ and electronic and H‐bonding interactions are analyzed and characterized by different methods. Microscopy (TEM and AFM) and rheology are used to characterize the formed nanostructures. Dynamic nanostructures, whose formation and function are driven by free‐energy minimization, are inherently self‐healing and provide opportunities for the development of aqueous adaptive nanotechnology.     

Charge Transfer Induces Formation of Stimuli‐Responsive,Chiral, Cohesive Vesicles‐on‐a‐String that Eventually Turn into a Hydrogel

A charge transfer (CT) mediated two‐component, multistimuli responsive supergelation involving a L ‐histidine‐appended pyrenyl derivative (PyHisOMe) as a donor and an asymmetric bolaamphiphilic naphthalene‐diimide (Asym‐NDI) derivative as an acceptor in a 2:1 mixture of H₂O/MeOH was investigated. Asym‐NDI alone self‐assembled into pH‐responsive vesicular nanostructures in water. Excellent selectivity in CT gel formation was achieved in terms of choosing amino acid appended pyrenyl donor scaffolds. Circular dichroism and morphological studies suggested formation of chiral, interconnected vesicular assemblies resembling “pearls‐on‐a‐string” from these CT mixed stacks. XRD studies revealed the formation of monolayer lipid membranes from these CT mixed stacks that eventually led to the formation of individual vesicles. Strong cohesive forces among the interconnected vesicles originate from the protrusion of the oxyethylene chains from the surfaces of the chiral vesicles.     

Investigation in monolayers of double-chain fluorocarbon amphiphiles Effect of headgroups on molecular packing and interaction between hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon monolayers

The surface pressure-area diagrams of double-chain fluorocarbon amphiphiles with different headgroup compositions show that the amphiphiles arrange almost perpendicularly to the water subphase and the structure of headgroups exerts significant influence on the amphiphile packing. Strong hydrogen bonding and weak electrostatic interaction favor the formation of stable monolayers. Perfluorooctanoic acid (FOA) cannot form monolayer at water/air interface and can only form liquid monolayer in subphase of calcium nitrate solution. Complete phase separation of palmitic acid and a fluorocarbon amphiphile with shorter hydrocarbon spacer group, 1, could be demonstrated in monolayers by using the phase rule of Crisp. The creation of phase-separated monolayers is possible when the monolayer is composed of a mixture of palmitic acid and a fluorocarbon amphiphile with longer hydrocarbon spacer group, 2. It can be suggested that the miscibility of hydrocarbon amphiphiles with fluorocarbon amphiphiles is determined by the hydrocarbon fraction of fluorocarbon amphiphiles.     

Gelation‐Induced Enhanced Fluorescence Emission from Organogels of Salicylanilide‐Containing Compounds Exhibiting Excited‐State Intramolecular Proton Transfer: Synthesis and Self‐Assembly

Self‐assembly structure, stability, hydrogen‐bonding interaction, and optical properties of a new class of low molecular weight organogelators (LMOGs) formed by salicylanilides 3 and 4 have been investigated by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV/Vis absorption and photoluminescence, as well as theoretical studies by DFT and semiempirical calculations with CI (AM1/PECI=8) methods. It was found that salicylanilides form gels in nonpolar solvents due to π‐stacking interaction complemented by the presence of both inter‐ and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The supramolecular arrangement in these organogels predicted by XRD shows lamellar and hexagonal columnar structures for gelators 3 and 4 , respectively. Of particular interest is the observation of significant fluorescence enhancement accompanying gelation, which was ascribed to the formation of J‐aggregates and inhibition of intramolecular rotation in the gel state.     

Self‐Assembly and Disassembly of Vesicles as Controlled by Anion–π Interactions

Anion–π interactions have been widely studied as new noncovalent driving forces in supramolecular chemistry. However, self‐assembly induced by anion–π interactions is still largely unexplored. Herein we report the formation of supramolecular amphiphiles through anion–π interactions, and the subsequent formation of self‐assembled vesicles in water. With the π receptor 1 as the host and anionic amphiphiles, such as sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), sodium laurate (SLA), and sodium methyl dodecylphosphonate (SDP), as guests, the sequential formation of host–guest supramolecular amphiphiles and self‐assembled vesicles was demonstrated by SEM, TEM, DLS, and XRD techniques. The intrinsic anion–π interactions between 1 and the anionic amphiphiles were confirmed by crystal diffraction, HRMS analysis, and DFT calculations. Furthermore, the controlled disassembly of the vesicles was promoted by competing anions, such as NO₃^?, Cl^?, and Br^?, or by changing the pH value of the medium.     

Monolayer Two‐dimensional Molecular Crystals for an Ultrasensitive OFET‐based Chemical Sensor

The sensitivity of conventional thin‐film OFET‐based sensors is limited by the diffusion of analytes through bulk films and remains the central challenge in sensing technology. Now, for the first time, an ultrasensitive (sub‐ppb level) sensor is reported that exploits n‐type monolayer molecular crystals (MMCs) with porous two‐dimensional structures. Thanks to monolayer crystal structure of NDI3HU‐DTYM2 (NDI) and controlled formation of porous structure, a world‐record detection limit of NH₃ (0.1 ppb) was achieved. Moreover, the MMC‐OFETs also enabled direct detection of solid analytes of biological amine derivatives, such as dopamine at an extremely low concentration of 500 ppb. The remarkably improved sensing performances of MMC‐OFETs opens up the possibility of engineering OFETs for ultrasensitive (bio)chemical sensing.     

Amine‐Directed Hydrogen‐Bonded Two‐Dimensional Supramolecular Structures

Utilizing pure amine hydrogen bonding is a novel approach for constructing two‐dimensional (2D) networks. Further, such systems are capable of undergoing structural modifications due to changes in pH. In this study, we designed a 2D network of triaminobenzene (TAB) molecules that by varying the pH from neutral to acidic, form either ordered or disordered structures on Au(111) surface as revealed in scanning tunneling microscopy images. In near‐neutral solution (pH ≈5.5), protonation of TAB generates charged species capable of forming H‐bonds between amine groups of neighboring molecules resulting in the formation of a 2D supramolecular structure on the electrified surface. At lower pH, due to the protonation of the amine groups, intermolecular hydrogen bonding is no longer possible and no ordered structure is observed on the surface. This opens the possibility to employ pH as a chemical trigger to induce a phase transition in the 2D molecular network of triaminobenzene molecules.     

Novel Coronene–Naphthalene Dimide‐Based Donor–Acceptor Pair for Tunable Charge‐Transfer Nanostructures

Charge‐transfer (CT) assemblies of aromatic donor (D) and acceptor (A) molecules have recently gained attention as a promising material for organic electronics and ferroelectrics. Two major factors which govern their functions are the strength of CT interaction and their supramolecular nanostructuring. Here we present coronene‐naphthalenediimide (NDI)‐based novel D‐A pairs that form alternately stacked CT assemblies. Through systematic substitution of the NDI derivatives and studying their CT interactions with coronene, a clear understanding of the secondary forces responsible for controlling their association is gained. Finally, the use of CT‐based supramolecular amphiphiles for their nanostructural engineering into ordered one‐dimensional (1‐D) assemblies is demonstrated.     

Head‐to‐Tail Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding of OH and NH Groups with Fluoride

To explore the anion‐recognition ability of the phenolic hydroxyl group and the amino hydrogen, we synthesized three different acridinedione (ADD) based anion receptors, 1 , 2 and 3 , having OH, NH, and combination of OH and NH groups, respectively. Absorption, emission and ¹H NMR spectral studies revealed that receptor 1 , having only a phenolic OH group, shows selective deprotonation of the hydroxyl proton towards F^?, which results in an “ON–OFF”‐type signal in the fluorescence spectral studies. Receptor 2 , which only has an amino hydrogen, also shows deprotonation of the amino hydrogen with F^?, whereas receptor 3 (having both OH and NH groups) shows head‐to‐tail intermolecular hydrogen bonding of OH and NH groups with F^? prior to deprotonation. The observation of hydrogen bonding of the OH and NH groups in a combined solution of 1 and 2 with F^? in a head‐to‐tail hetero‐intermolecular fashion, and the absence of head‐to‐head and tail‐to‐tail intermolecular hydrogen bonding in 1 and 2 with F^?, prove that the difference in the acidity of the OH and NH protons leads to the formation of an intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding complex with F^? prior to deprotonation. The presence of this hydrogen‐bonding complex was confirmed by absorption spectroscopy, 3D emission contour studies, and ¹H NMR titration.     

Hydrogen‐Bonding Induced Alternate Stacking of Donor (D) and Acceptor (A) Chromophores and their Supramolecular Switching to Segregated States

This paper reports comprehensive studies on the mixed assembly of bis‐(trialkoxybenzamide)‐functionalized dialkoxynaphthalene (DAN) donors and naphthalene‐diimide (NDI) acceptors due the cooperative effects of hydrogen bonding, charge‐transfer (CT) interactions, and solvophobic effects. A series of DAN as well as NDI building blocks have been examined (wherein the relative distance between the two amide groups in a particular chromophore is the variable structural parameter) to understand the structure‐dependent variation in mode of supramolecular assembly and morphology (organogel, reverse vesicle, etc.) of the self‐assembled material. Interestingly, it was observed that when the amide functionalities are introduced to enhance the self‐assembly propensity, the mode of co‐assembly among the DAN and NDI chromophores no longer remained trivial and was dictated by a relatively stronger hydrogen‐bonding interaction instead of a weak CT interaction. Consequently, in a highly non‐polar solvent like methylcyclohexane (MCH), although kinetically controlled CT‐gelation was initially noticed, within a few hours the system sacrificed the CT‐interaction and switched over to the more stable self‐sorted gel to maximize the gain in enthalpy from the hydrogen‐bonding interaction. In contrast, in a relatively less non‐polar solvent such as tetrachloroethylene (TCE), in which the strength of hydrogen bonding is inherently weak, the contribution of the CT interaction also had to be accounted for along with hydrogen bonding leading to a stable CT‐state in the gel or solution phase. The stability and morphology of the CT complex and rate of supramolecular switching (from CT to segregated state) were found to be greatly influenced by subtle structural variation of the building blocks, solvent polarity, and the DAN/NDI ratio. For example, in a given D–A pair, by introducing just one methylene unit in the spacer segment of either of the building blocks a complete change in the mode of co‐assembly (CT state or segregated state) and the morphology (1D fiber to 2D reverse vesicle) was observed. The role of solvent polarity, structural variation, and D/A ratio on the nature of co‐assembly, morphology, and the unprecedented supramolecular‐switching phenomenon have been studied by detail spectroscopic and microscopic experiments in a gel as well as in the solution state and are well supported by DFT calculations.     

The supramolecular architecture of tris(naphthalene‐1,5‐diaminium) bis(5‐aminonaphthalen‐1‐aminium) octakis[hydrogen (5‐carboxypyridin‐3‐yl)phosphonate]

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, 3C₁₀H₁₂N₂²⁺·2C₁₀H₁₁N₂⁺·8C₆H₅NO₅P⁻, contains one and a half naphthalene‐1,5‐diaminium cations, in which the half‐molecule has inversion symmetry, one 5‐aminonaphthalen‐1‐aminium cation and four hydrogen (5‐carboxypyridin‐3‐yl)phosphonate anions. The crystal structure is layered and consists of hydrogen‐bonded anionic monolayers between which the cations are arranged. The acid monoanions are organized into one‐dimensional chains along the [101] direction via hydrogen bonds established between the phosphonate sites. (C)O—H...N_py hydrogen bonds (py is pyridine) crosslink the chains to form an undulating (010) monolayer. The cations serve both to balance the charge of the anionic network and to connect neighbouring layers via multiple hydrogen bonds to form a three‐dimensional supramolecular architecture.     

Tuning One‐Dimensional Nanostructures of Bola‐Like Peptide Amphiphiles by Varying the Hydrophilic Amino Acids

By combining experimental measurements and computer simulations, we here show that for the bola‐like peptide amphiphiles XI₄X, where X=K, R, and H, the hydrophilic amino acid substitutions have little effect on the β‐sheet hydrogen‐bonding between peptide backbones. Whereas all of the peptides self‐assemble into one dimensional (1D) nanostructures with completely different morphologies, that is, nanotubes and helical nanoribbons for KI₄K, flat and multilayered nanoribbons for HI₄H, and twisted and bilayered nanoribbons for RI₄R. These different 1D morphologies can be explained by the distinct stacking degrees and modes of the three peptide β‐sheets along the x‐direction (width) and the z‐direction (height), which microscopically originate from the hydrogen‐bonding ability of the sheets to solvent molecules and the pairing of hydrophilic amino acid side chains between β‐sheet monolayers through stacking interactions and hydrogen bonding. These different 1D nanostructures have distinct surface chemistry and functions, with great potential in various applications exploiting the respective properties of these hydrophilic amino acids.     

Synthesis and surfactochromicity of 1,4‐diketopyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole(DPP)‐based anionic conjugated polyelectrolytes

Two novel anionic conjugated copolyelectrolytes PSDPPPV and PSDPPPE were synthesized via Heck/Sonogashira coupling reactions and characterized by FT‐IR, ¹H NMR, UV‐vis, and PL spectroscopy. The two polymers are respectively constituted of 2,5‐diethoxy‐1,4‐phenyleneethynylene (DPV) and 2,5‐diethoxy‐1,4‐phenyleneethynylene (DPE) with 1,4‐diketo‐2,5‐bis(4‐sulfonylbutyl)‐3,6‐diphenylpyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole (SDPP) which is a novel water soluble diketopyrrolopyrrole derivative. PSDPPPV and PSDPPPE show broad absorption band in visible region and they exhibit strong fluorescence quenching in aqueous solution. The fluorescence of their aqueous solutions can be enhanced in the presence of cationic surfactant or polymer nonionic surfactant. Fluorescence enhancement by introduction of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) shows linear response. This result provides a controllable method to increase fluorescence intensity of dipyrrolopyrrole‐based conjugate polyelectrolytes in aqueous phase. The optical properties suggested that PSDPPPV and PSDPPPE which are negatively charged conjugated polymers can assemble with positively charged photovoltaic materials to form ionic photoactive layer. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 739–751     

Cholic acid-derived facial amphiphiles with different ionic characteristics

A cholate derivative with three epoxide groups was synthesized from cholic acid by allylation followed by epoxidation. Ring opening of the epoxides by various nucleophiles yielded facial amphiphiles with anionic, cationic, or nonionic functional groups. The critical micelle concentrations of these amphiphiles largely depend on the number of charged groups on the molecule. A facial amphiphile with pH-tunable micellization was prepared. Its aggregation behavior changes abruptly at pH = 7.6-6.6 as a result of protonation of its amino groups.     

catena‐Poly[thorium(IV)‐tetrakis(μ2‐3‐carboxyadamantane‐1‐carboxylato)]: a quadruple helical strand driven by a synergy of coordination and hydrogen bonding

The title compound, [Th(C₁₂H₁₅O₄)₄]_n, is the first homoleptic thorium–carboxylate coordination polymer. It has a one‐dimensional structure supported by the bidentate bridging coordination of the singly charged 3‐carboxyadamantane‐1‐carboxylate (HADC⁻) anions. The metal ion is situated on a fourfold axis (site symmetry 4) and possesses a square‐antiprismatic ThO₈ coordination, including four bonds to anionic carboxylate groups [Th—O = 2.359 (2) Å] and four to neutral carboxyl groups [Th—O = 2.426 (2) Å], while a strong hydrogen bond between these two kinds of O‐atom donor [O...O = 2.494 (3) Å] affords planar pseudo‐chelated Th{CO₂...HO₂C} cycles. This combination of coordination and hydrogen bonding is responsible for the generation of quadruple helical strands of HADC⁻ ligands, which are wrapped around a linear chain of Th^IV ions [Th...Th = 7.5240 (4) Å] defining the helical axis.     

Time‐dependent density functional theory study on the electronic excited‐state geometric structure,infrared spectra,and hydrogen bonding of a doubly hydrogen‐bonded complex

The geometric structures and infrared (IR) spectra in the electronically excited state of a novel doubly hydrogen‐bonded complex formed by fluorenone and alcohols, which has been observed by IR spectra in experimental study, are investigated by the time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method. The geometric structures and IR spectra in both ground state and the S₁ state of this doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex are calculated using the DFT and TDDFT methods, respectively. Two intermolecular hydrogen bonds are formed between FN and methanol molecules in the doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex. Moreover, the formation of the second intermolecular hydrogen bond can make the first intermolecular hydrogen bond become slightly weak. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the spectral shoulder at around 1700 cm^?1 observed in the IR spectra should be assigned as the doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex from our calculated results. The electronic excited‐state hydrogen bonding dynamics is also studied by monitoring some vibraitonal modes related to the formation of hydrogen bonds in different electronic states. As a result, both the two intermolecular hydrogen bonds are significantly strengthened in the S₁ state of the doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex. The hydrogen bond strengthening in the electronically excited state is similar to the previous study on the singly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐MeOH complex and play important role on the photophysics of fluorenone in solutions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2009