Controlling the materials properties and nanostructure of a single-component dendritic gel by adding a second component

This paper reports a dendritic system which is capable of forming both one-component and two-component gels--interestingly the addition of the second component can either increase or decrease the degree of gelation, depending on dendritic generation.     

Self-assembly of two-component peptidic dendrimers: dendritic effects on gel-phase materials

The self-assembly of diaminododecane solubilised by different dendritic peptides, possessing increasing levels of dendritic branching, was investigated. The dendritic peptides were based on l-lysine building blocks and were of first, second and third generation, containing one, three and seven amino acid repeat units respectively. By applying these structures as potential gelator units, the dendritic effect on gelation was investigated. The degree of structuring was modulated, with the dendritic peptide controlling the aggregate morphology and the ability of the self-assembled state to manifest itself macroscopically as gelation. First generation gelator units (G1) did not induce macroscopic gelation with diaminododecane under any conditions, whilst those self-assemblies based on second (G2) and third (G3) generation branches did form gel-phase materials. Furthermore, gel-phase materials based on G2 exhibited optimum gelation behaviour compared to those based on G3(in terms of the thermal strength of the materials). Circular dichroism showed that the dendritic effect, programmed in at the molecular level, is directly related to the degree of chiral organisation within the self-assembled state. The dendritic generation of the peptide controls the pattern of amide-amide hydrogen bonding in terms of binding strength and alignment as determined using NMR methods. The mode of self-assembly can be qualitatively rationalised in terms of an attractive enthalpic interaction (i.e., amide-amide hydrogen bonding), a repulsive interaction (i.e., steric interactions between dendritic peptides) and an entropic term related to the hierarchical organisation of the gelator building blocks. It is argued that the balance between these factors determines the nature of the dendritic effect.     

Design of an Amphiphilic Perylene Diimide for Optical Recognition of Anticancer Drug through a Chirality-Induced Helical Structure

Introduction of chirality into a supramolecular self-assembly system plays an indispensable role in attaining specific molecular recognition ability. Herein, a chiral anticancer drug 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5′DFU) was explored for inducing the self-assembly of a cationic perylene diimide derivative containing boronic acid groups (PDI-PBA) into a highly ordered right-handed helical structure. As a result, PDI-PBA exhibited a molecular recognition ability towards 5′DFU among other cis-diols and anticancer drugs. With the help of a dynamic covalent bond and favorable hydrogen-bonding interactions, chirality transfer from chiral 5′DFU to achiral PDI-PBA breaks down the strong π–π stacking of PDI-PBA and makes it reorganize into highly ordered helical supramolecular structures. This work provides an insight into chiral anticancer drug tuning interactions of π-chromophores and the inducement of hierarchical self-assembly to achieve specific molecular recognition.     

Chiral bis(amino amides) as chiral solvating agents for enantiomeric excess determination of α-hydroxy and arylpropionic acids

A family of bis(amino amides) derived from natural amino acids has been synthesized and tested for the NMR enantiodiscrimination, as chiral solvating agents, for enantiomeric excess determination of some carboxylic acids. Those bis(amino amide) receptors contain different structural modifications and the splitting of the signals of the acids, after addition of the corresponding CSAs, depends on those structural variables. The influence of aminoacid side chain and the nature of the aliphatic spacer are important parameters to obtain good chiral discriminations. The results obtained clearly show the chiral recognition abilities of these bis(amino amide) ligands and suggest their advantageous use as chiral solvating agents for carboxylic acids. The binding between bis(amino amides) and carboxylic acids has been studied by ESI-MS, NMR, DSC, and molecular modeling. The data suggest that enantiodiscrimination involves the formation of an ionic pair after proton transfer from the carboxylic substrate to the bis(amino amides).     

Two-component dendritic gel: effect of stereochemistry on the supramolecular chiral assembly

The self-assembly of diaminododecane solubilised by four different stereoisomeric dendritic peptides to form gel-phase materials in toluene was investigated. The second generation dendritic peptides were based on D- and L-lysine building blocks, and each contained three chiral centres. By designing dendritic peptides in which the configurations of the chiral centres were modified, and applying them as gelator units, the assembly of stereoisomers could be investigated. In all cases, the self-assembly of gelator units resulted in macroscopic gelation. However, the degree of structuring was modulated by the stereoisomers employed, an effect which changed the morphology and macroscopic behavior of the self-assembled state. Enantiomeric (L,L,L or D,D,D) gelator units formed fibrous molecular assemblies, whilst the racemic gel (50 % L,L,L : 50 % D,D,D) formed a flat structure with a "woven" appearance. Gelator units based on L,D,D or D,L,L dendritic peptides also formed fibrous assemblies, but small-angle X-ray scattering indicated significant morphological differences were caused by the switch in chirality. Furthermore, the macroscopic stability of the gel was diminished when these peptides were compared with their L,L,L or D,D,D analogues. In this paper it is clearly shown that individual stereocentres, on the molecular level, are directly related to the helicity within the fibre. It is argued that the chirality controls the pattern of hydrogen bonding within the assembly, and hence determines the extent of fibre formation and the macroscopic gel strength.     

Molecular recognition with micellar and micelle-like aggregates in aqueous media

In this article, attention is directed to molecular recognition by micellar aggregates made with ionic surfactants involving directed interactions of substrates. Particular emphasis is placed on chiral recognition of enantiomers by hydrogen bonding functionalities incorporated in hydrophobic micellar interior. Hydrophobic properties within micelles, the ordering of their polar headgroups containing chiral functionalities essential for the recognition and the cessation of micellar kinetic association-dissociation with polymerization and immobilization of the surfactants on the support are discussed.     

Unique nanoscale morphologies underpinning organic gel-phase materials

This study investigates the self-assembly of simple aliphatic diamines with a dendritic peptide. By controlling the molar ratio of this two-component system, new nanoscale morphologies were generated. In the presence of relatively long aliphatic chains (C10, C12) a transition from nanoscale fibres to platelets was observed on changing the molar ratio, whereas, for shorter spacer chains (e.g., C9 and C8), interesting and unique morphological changes were observed by low voltage field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with "nanosquares" or nanoscale "rosette" structures being formed. Remarkably, these discrete nanoscale structures were able to form sample-spanning networks capable of supporting a gel-phase material; whereas, most gels are usually based on fibrillar assemblies. In addition to SEM, the gels were characterised by using thermal measurements and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The length of the diamine spacer and the molar ratio of components controlled the self-assembly process by modifying the spatial organisation of the dendritic head groups at the molecular level, which is transcribed into the aspect ratio of the self-assembled state at the microscopic level. Ultimately, this led to diamine-induced control of the macroscopic material's behaviour. When present in excess, the diamine controlled the observed nanoscale morphology as a consequence of undergoing a dendritically controlled nanocrystallisation process to form a network, an unusual and significant result.     

Pyrrolic Amide: A New Hydrogen Bond Building Block for Self-assembly

Molecular self-assembly has emerged as a powerful technology for the synthesis of nanostructured materials. In design of various molecular assemblies, hydrogen bonding is a preferably selected intra- or inter-molecular weak interaction in recent research by virtue of the directionality and specificity. The research for novel hydrogen bond building blocks that self-assembly into well defined structures is great important not only for gaining an understanding of the concepts of self-assembly but also for the design of new molecular materials. Pyrrolic amide moiety has one hydrogen bond acceptor (C =O) and two hydrogen bond donors (pyrrole NH and amide NH). By deliberately design, pyrrolic amide compounds would be new kinds hydrogen bond building blocks. So, pyrrolic amide compounds 1 ～ 6, which bear one, two or three pyrrolic amide moieties respectively, were designed and synthesized.     

Progress in Molecular Dynamics and Hansen Solubility Parameters of Low Molecular Weight Gels北大核心CSCD

Recently,the use of computational methods such as Molecular Dynamics（MD）simulations and Hansen Solubility Parameters （HSPs）to study the behavior of small molecule gelators has attracted much attention. MD simulation is a computational method based on classical mechanics and is one of the preferred techniques for understanding the process of small molecule gelators. The MD simulation can more accurately analyze the gelation trend or assembly behavior of small molecule gelators,dynamically and graphically display the self-assembly process,effectively reveal the relationship between the structure of small molecule gelators and related gelation behavior,and quantitatively analyze non-covalent bond interactions such as hydrogen bonds,π-π stacking,van der Waals interactions,ionic bonding and solvophobic interactions. By performing molecular dynamics simulations on known gelators/non-gelators,parameters related to gelation behavior in the simulated data are extracted,and the linear correlation is measured by fitting the Pearson correlation coefficient to finally predict the gelation behavior of a certain class of small molecules. On the other hand,the empirical model developed according to the HSPs is the most representative,which consists of the energy of dispersion interaction（δd）,the energy of polar interaction（δp）and H-bonding energy（δh ）between molecules. These three parts determine the coordinate point of the three-dimensional space（Hansen space）. According to the range of the point,it can be determined whether the organic small molecule can form a gel in a specific solvent. In this paper,representative works published recently in the field of organic small molecule gels by using MD simulations and empirical models are reviewed. Some comments on the assembly behavior of gelators,the regulation and prediction of non-covalent bond interactions on gelation ability are made. © 2022, Science Press (China). All rights reserved.     

Magnitudes and chemical consequences of R(3)N(+)-C-H...O[double bond]C hydrogen bonding

The magnitude of the stabilizing interaction between an aliphatic C[bond]H bond attached to an ammonium nitrogen and a carbonyl oxygen was evaluated by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-311++G** level of theory. Attractive R(3)N(+)-C-H...O[double bond]C interactions play an important role in supramolecular recognition and various types of stereoselective catalysis. Our calculations show that R(3)N(+)-C-H...O[double bond]C is the strongest hydrogen bond of the C-H...O type known to date. Such hydrogen bonds remain as stabilizing interactions even in water for amide acceptors.     

含有氢键供体大环化合物的构筑及其功能研究进展

含有氢键供体基团构筑的大环化合物因其结构中具有可以提供氢键供体的N—H基团,可以为大环化合物的主客体化学提供额外的分子间作用力,在分子识别、自组装以及超分子催化等领域被广泛应用.综述了近十年基于(硫)脲键、酰胺键构筑的大环化合物的合成方法及其在分子识别中的最新研究进展.为今后此类大环化合物的合成及应用提供参考.     

Kinetic Control of a Self-Assembly Pathway towards Hidden Chiral Microcoils

Manipulating the self-assembly pathway is essentially important in the supramolecular synthesis of organic nano- and microarchitectures. Herein, we design a series of photoisomerizable chiral molecules, and realize precise control over pathway complexity with external light stimuli. The hidden single-handed microcoils, rather than the straight microribbons through spontaneous assembly, are obtained through a kinetically controlled pathway. The competition between molecular interactions in metastable photostationary intermediates gives rise to a variety of molecular packing and thereby the possibility of chirality transfer from molecules to supramolecular assemblies.     

Self-organisation in the assembly of gels from mixtures of different dendritic peptide building blocks

This paper investigates dendritic peptides capable of assembling into nanostructured gels, and explores the effect on self-assembly of mixing different molecular building blocks. Thermal measurements, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy are used to probe these materials on macroscopic, nanoscopic and molecular length scales. The results from these investigations demonstrate that in this case, systems with different "size" and "chirality" factors can self-organise, whilst systems with different "shape" factors cannot. The "size" and "chirality" factors are directly connected with the molecular information programmed into the dendritic peptides, whilst the shape factor depends on the group linking these peptides together--this is consistent with molecular recognition hydrogen bond pathways between the peptidic building blocks controlling the ability of these systems to self-recognise. These results demonstrate that mixtures of relatively complex peptides, with only subtle differences on the molecular scale, can self-organise into nanoscale structures, an important step in the spontaneous assembly of ordered systems from complex mixtures.     

Solvent effects on supramolecular gel-phase materials: two-component dendritic gel

The self-assembly of diaminododecane with dendritic l-lysine-based peptides to form gel-phase materials was investigated in a range of different solvents. The degree of structuring was modulated by the solvent employed, an effect which induced subtle changes in the mesoscale aggregate morphology and macroscopic behavior of the self-assembled state. In this paper a range of different solvent parameters are investigated, and it is clearly shown that macroscopic gelation can be related to a solvent polar solubility parameter for this system. The results also show a dependence on Kamlet-Taft hydrogen bonding parameters, and this clearly demonstrates the role of the solvent environment in terms of dendron--dendron intermolecular hydrogen bonding and its impact on the supramolecular chiral organization of the assembled superstructure.     

L-苯丙氨酸衍生物与脂肪胺构筑双组分超分子凝胶

设计合成了系列单链L-苯丙氨酸衍生物,该系列衍生物单组分没有胶凝性能. 选择脂肪胺作为配对物,与L-苯丙氨酸衍生物组成双组分体系后能够胶凝许多有机溶剂形成凝胶. 流变学测试显示该凝胶体系弹性模量（G’）比粘性模量（G"）约高一个数量级,有着很好的机械性能,并且呈现出典型的类固体的流变学行为. 傅里叶变换红外（FT-IR）光谱、核磁共振（NMR）谱、小角X射线衍射（SAXS）和扫描电镜（SEM）结果表明,凝胶中胶凝剂分子形成纤维状或片层状的聚集体,羧基（―COOH）和氨基（―NH₂）的酸碱作用、酰胺基团间（―CONH―）的氢键作用以及分子间范德华作用力是形成该凝胶的主要驱动力. 凝胶中胶凝剂分子自组装形成具有周期性的层状有序结构,层状结构进一步组装形成纤维状聚集体,最终形成三维网状结构阻碍溶剂流动形成凝胶.     

L-苯丙氨酸衍生物与脂肪胺构筑双组分超分子凝胶

设计合成了系列单链L-苯丙氨酸衍生物,该系列衍生物单组分没有胶凝性能.选择脂肪胺作为配对物,与L-苯丙氨酸衍生物组成双组分体系后能够胶凝许多有机溶剂形成凝胶.流变学测试显示该凝胶体系弹性模量(G′)比粘性模量(G′′)约高一个数量级,有着很好的机械性能,并且呈现出典型的类固体的流变学行为.傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR)光谱、核磁共振(NMR)谱、小角X射线衍射(SAXS)和扫描电镜(SEM)结果表明,凝胶中胶凝剂分子形成纤维状或片层状的聚集体,羧基(―COOH)和氨基(―NH2)的酸碱作用、酰胺基团间(―CONH―)的氢键作用以及分子间范德华作用力是形成该凝胶的主要驱动力.凝胶中胶凝剂分子自组装形成具有周期性的层状有序结构,层状结构进一步组装形成纤维状聚集体,最终形成三维网状结构阻碍溶剂流动形成凝胶.     

Two-dimensional self-assembly of a two-component molecular system: formation of an ordered and homogeneous molecular mesh

The formation of nanoscaled objects often relies on the two-dimensional self-assembly of organic molecules on solid substrates, leading to a number of interesting structures with nanometer dimensions. Assembly of single-component systems driven by chain-chain van der Waals interactions, hydrogen bonding, and dipolar interactions governs the structures typically formed. The two-dimensional self-assembly of a two-component molecular system is described here, where the structure involves mixing of the components at the molecular level. A mixture of 5-octadecyloxyisophthalic acid and octanoic acid forms an ordered stoichiometric array of homogeneous nanometer-sized openings of dimension 8.5 A x 13.5 A x1.8 A, verified by atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy. Assembly in the structure is driven by van der Waals and hydrogen bonding interactions between the molecular components.     

Structural and thermodynamic characteristics of amide solvents

The structural and thermodynamic characteristics of amide solvents are calculated with different types of molecular self-assembly through hydrogen bonding. Under a model-based approach, the specific and nonspecific components of the total energy of intermolecular interactions are identified for primary, secondary, and tertiary amides of carboxylic acids. It is found that similarly to water, primary amides have a network of hydrogen bonds and belong to the class of liquids characterized by an increase in nonspecific interactions with temperature. In secondary amides with the chain self-assembly, the contribution of these interactions is practically independent of temperature, and in tertiary amides it decreases with an increase in temperature. The molar values of the specific and nonspecific components are used to analyze the intermolecular interactions and the structural properties of amides with different degrees of N-substitution.     

Synthesis and self-assembly of glycal-based bolaforms

Glycal-based bolaforms serve as synthetically flexible components of molecular self-assembly. The compounds are prepared in good yield by a Ferrier reaction between triacetylglucal or -galactal or diacetylxylal and a long chain alpha,omega-diol, followed by deacetylation under Zemplen conditions. The reactions are stereoselective and preferentially afford the alpha-diastereomer. The bolaforms undergo self-assembly in water or water/dioxane solution to give a variety of nanostructures. In solution, bolaforms with C8 or C10 chains between glucal headgroups form nanoscale vesicles. In contrast, bolaforms with C12 chains exhibit lower solubility and a dynamic self-assembly, forming several different nanoscale structures. However, the solid-state structures of C12 bolaform isomers adopt shapes very similar to those of bolaforms possessing more extensive hydrogen-bonding networks, indicating that multiple hydrogen bonds in solution are important to formation of stable, discrete nanostructures but that only a few key intermolecular interactions between bolaform headgroups are necessary to determine the structure in the solid state. The diversity and differentiation of the functional groups present in glycal-based bolaforms suggest that they could be useful probes of the various noncovalent forces controlling the structure of new nanomaterials.     

Cooperative Effect of a Classical and a Weak Hydrogen Bond for the Metal‐Induced Construction of a Self‐Assembled β‐Turn Mimic

A novel metal‐induced template for the self‐assembly of two independent phosphane ligands by means of unprecedented multiple noncovalent interactions (classical hydrogen bond, weak hydrogen bond, metal coordination, π‐stacking interaction) was developed and investigated. Our results address the importance and capability of weak hydrogen bonds (WHBs) as important attractive interactions in self‐assembling processes based on molecular recognition. Together with a classical hydrogen bond, WHBs may serve as promoters for the specific self‐assembly of complementary monomeric phosphane ligands into supramolecular hybrid structures. The formation of an intermolecular C? H???N hydrogen bond and its persistence in the solid state and in solution was studied by X‐ray crystal analysis, mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy analysis. Further evidence was demonstrated by DFT calculations, which gave specific geometric parameters for the proposed conformations and allowed us to estimate the energy involved in the hydrogen bonds that are responsible for the molecular recognition process. The presented template can be regarded as a new type of self‐assembled β‐turn mimic or supramolecular pseudo amino acid for the nucleation of β‐sheet structures when attached to oligopeptides.