Supramolecular Dendrimers: Convenient Synthesis by Programmed Self‐Assembly and Tunable Thermoresponsivity

We report here the noncovalent synthesis of thermosensitive dendrimers. Short oligoguanosine strands were linked to the focal point of a dendron by using “click chemistry”, and quadruplex formation was used to drive the self‐assembly process in the presence of metal ions. The dynamic nature of these noncovalent assemblies can be exploited to create combinatorial libraries of dendrimers as demonstrated by the co‐assembly of two components. These supramolecular dendrimers showed thermoresponsive behavior that can be tuned by varying the templating cations or the number of guanines in the oligonucleotide strand.     

Synthesis,Self‐Assembly,and Multi‐Stimuli Responses of a Supramolecular Block Copolymer

A supramolecular block copolymer is prepared by the molecular recognition of nucleobases between poly(2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate‐co‐oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate)‐SS‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐adenine (P(MEO₂MA‐co‐OEGMA)‐SS‐PCL‐A) and uracil‐terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG‐U). Because the block copolymer is linked by the combination of covalent (disulfide bond) and noncovalent (A U) bonds, it not only has similar properties to conventional covalently linked block copolymers but also possesses a dynamic and tunable nature. The copolymer can self‐assemble into micelles with a PCL core and P(MEO₂MA‐co‐OEGMA)/PEG shell. The size and morphologies of the micelles/aggregates can be adjusted by altering the temperature, pH, salt concentration, or adding dithiothreitol (DTT) to the solution. The controlled release of Nile red is achieved at different environmental conditions.

     

Multi‐Stimuli‐Responsive Polymeric Materials

Stimuli‐responsive materials are of immense importance because of their ability to undergo alteration of their properties in response to their environment. The properties of such materials can be tuned by subtle adjustments in temperature, pH, light, and so forth. Among such smart materials, multi‐stimuli‐responsive polymeric materials are of pronounced significance as they offer a wide range of applications and their properties can be tuned through several mechanisms. Here, we aim to highlight some recent studies showcasing the multi‐stimuli‐responsive character of these polymers, which are still relatively little known compared to their single‐stimuli‐responsive counterpart.     

Multi‐Stimuli‐Responsive Polymer Materials: Particles,Films, and Bulk Gels

Stimuli‐responsive polymers have received tremendous attention from scientists and engineers for several decades due to the wide applications of these smart materials in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Driven by the complex functions of living systems, multi‐stimuli‐responsive polymer materials have been designed and developed in recent years. Compared with conventional single‐ or dual‐stimuli‐based polymer materials, multi‐stimuli‐responsive polymer materials would be more intriguing since more functions and finer modulations can be achieved through more parameters. This critical review highlights the recent advances in this area and focuses on three types of multi‐stimuli‐responsive polymer materials, namely, multi‐stimuli‐responsive particles (micelles, micro/nanogels, vesicles, and hybrid particles), multi‐stimuli‐responsive films (polymer brushes, layer‐by‐layer polymer films, and porous membranes), and multi‐stimuli‐responsive bulk gels (hydrogels, organogels, and metallogels) from recent publications. Various stimuli, such as light, temperature, pH, reduction/oxidation, enzymes, ions, glucose, ultrasound, magnetic fields, mechanical stress, solvent, voltage, and electrochemistry, have been combined to switch the functions of polymers. The polymer design, preparation, and function of multi‐stimuli‐responsive particles, films, and bulk gels are comprehensively discussed here.     

Induced Self‐Assembly of Platinum(II) Alkynyl Complexes through Specific Interactions between Citrate and Guanidinium for Proof‐of‐Principle Detection of Citrate and an Assay of Citrate Lyase

Water‐soluble alkynylplatinum(II) terpyridine complexes appended with guanidinium moieties, [Pt(tpy)(C?C?Ar)][OTf]₂ (tpy=terpyridine; OTf=trifluoromethanesulfonate; Ar=C₆H₄‐{NHC(?NH₂⁺)(NH₂)}‐4 ( 1 ), C₆H₄‐{CH₂NHC(?NH₂⁺)(NH₂)}‐4 ( 2 )), and [Pt(tBu₃tpy)(C?CC₆H₄‐{NHC(?NH₂⁺)(NH₂)}‐4)][OTf]₂ ( 3 ; tBu₃tpy=4,4′,4′′‐tri‐tert‐butyl‐2,2′:6′,2′′‐terpyridine), have been synthesized and characterized. The photophysical properties of the complexes have been studied. Based on the results of UV/Vis absorption, resonance light scattering, and dynamic light scattering experiments, in aqueous buffer solutions complexes 1 and 2 undergo aggregation in the presence of citrate through strong and specific electrostatic and hydrogen‐bonding interactions with citrate. The emergence of a triplet metal–metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (³MMLCT) emission in the near‐infrared (NIR) region brought on by the induced self‐assembly of complex 1 has been demonstrated for proof‐of‐principle detection of citrate with good sensitivity and selectivity over other mono‐ and dicarboxylate substrates in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle as well as phosphate and lactate anions. Such a good selectivity toward citrate has been rationalized by the high charge density of citrate under physiological conditions and specific interactions between the guanidinium moiety on complex 1 and citrate. Extension of the work to citrate detection in fetal bovine serum and real‐time monitoring of the activity of citrate lyase by the NIR emission of complex 1 have also been demonstrated.     

Self‐Assembly of a Trinuclear Luminescent Europium Complex

Triangular luminescent box : Self‐assembly of a new multidentate receptor with europium cations results in the formation of trinuclear discrete complexes. X‐ray crystallography shows that nine‐coordinate cations are linked by ligands to provide a triangular complex in the solid state and in solution. Despite the coordinated solvent molecules, this topologically unusual complex exhibits remarkable luminescent properties.

     

Self‐Assembly Studies of a Chiral Bisurea‐Based Superhydrogelator

A chiral bisurea‐based superhydrogelator that is capable of forming supramolecular hydrogels at concentrations as low as 0.2 mM is reported. This soft material has been characterized by thermal studies, rheology, X‐ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and by various spectroscopic techniques (electronic and vibrational circular dichroism and by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy). The expression of chirality on the molecular and supramolecular levels has been studied and a clear amplification of its chirality into the achiral analogue has been observed. Furthermore, thermal analysis showed that the hydrogelation of compound 1 has a high response to temperature, which corresponds to an enthalpy‐driven self‐assembly process. These particular thermal characteristics make these materials easy to handle for soft‐application technologies.     

Boronic Acids in Molecular Self‐Assembly

The reversibility of boronic acid and diol interaction makes it an ideal candidate for the design of self‐assembled molecular structures. Reversibility is required to ensure that the thermodynamically most stable structure is formed. Reversibility also ensures that any errors produced during the assembly process are not permanent.     

Smart Nanocontainers: Progress on Novel Stimuli‐Responsive Polymer Vesicles

In the past decade, polymer vesicles prepared by self‐assembly techniques have attracted increasing scientific interest based on their unique features highlighted with tunable membrane properties, versatility, stability, and capacity of transporting hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic species. Polymersomes exhibit intriguing potential applications such as cell mimicking dimensions and functions, tunable delivery vehicles, for the templating of biomineralization, nanoreactors, and as scaffolds for biological conjugation. In this Feature Article, an overview of the preparation and application of recently developed “smart” polymer vesicles, which can respond to the novel external stimuli, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), electrochemical potential, ultrasound, enzyme, near‐infrared light, and magnetic field is given. The response mechanism and morphology change are explored with specific focus on the functionalization of various domains of the polymer vesicles. In addition, the current limitations are explored as well as the challenges facing the development of these nanostructures toward real‐world applications.

     

Dual‐Mode Controlled Self‐Assembly of TiO2 Nanoparticles Through a Cucurbit[8]uril‐Enhanced Radical Cation Dimerization Interaction

The realization of controllable multicomponent self‐assembly through reversible supramolecular interactions is a challenging goal, and is an important strategy for the fabrication of switchable nanomaterials. Herein we show that the self‐assembly of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NP) functionalized with methyl viologen can be controlled both by light irradiation and chemical reduction through cucurbit[8]uril‐enhanced radical cation dimerization interactions. Moreover, the controlled assembly and disassembly of this system are accompanied by switchable photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ NPs, which shows potential application as a novel smart and recyclable photocatalyst.     

Stimuli‐Responsive Supramolecular Hydrogels and Their Applications in Regenerative Medicine

Supramolecular hydrogels are a class of self‐assembled network structures formed via non‐covalent interactions of the hydrogelators. These hydrogels capable of responding to external stimuli are considered to be smart materials due to their ability to undergo sol–gel and/or gel–sol transition upon subtle changes in their surroundings. Such stimuli‐responsive hydrogels are intriguing biomaterials with applications in tissue engineering, delivery of cells and drugs, modulating tissue environment to promote innate tissue repair, and imaging for medical diagnostics among others. This review summarizes the recent developments in stimuli‐responsive supramolecular hydrogels and their potential applications in regenerative medicine. Specifically, various structural aspects of supramolecular hydrogelators involved in self‐assembly, the role of external stimuli in tuning/controlling their phase transitions, and how these functions could be harnessed to advance applications in regenerative medicine are focused on. Finally, the key challenges and future prospects for these versatile materials are briefly described.     

Stimuli‐Responsive Water‐Soluble Fullerene (C60) Polymeric Systems

This review documents the advances in stimuli‐responsive water‐soluble fullerene (C₆₀) polymeric systems. Stimuli‐responsive polymers, when grafted onto C₆₀ impart “smart” and “responsive” characteristics, and these novel materials adopt various morphologies when subjected to external stimuli, such as pH, temperature, and salt. Various synthetic approaches for producing C₆₀‐polymers are outlined and discussed. The responsive behavior, water solubility, and self‐assembly characteristics of these C₆₀‐polymers make them attractive for applications such as drug delivery, temperature sensors, and personal care.     

Tunable Metal‐Enhanced Fluorescence by Stimuli‐Responsive Polyelectrolyte Interlayer Films

In this paper, we report on the tunable metal‐enhanced fluorescence (MEF) of Ag nanostructures. Because of the good MEF properties of the highly dendritic Ag nanostructures, we obtained an increase of up to 25 times for the weak fluorescence of porphyrin molecules (Por^4–). More importantly, by the introduction of a stimulus‐responsive PAA/PDDA multilayer film as an interlayer, the distance between the fluorophores and the Ag nanostructures could be tuned by immersing the substrates into solutions of different ionic strength or pH. The MEF behavior of the composite films could thus be tuned in a controlled manner, because of the distance dependent nature of the MEF effects.