Emergent Molecular Recognition through Self‐Assembly: Unexpected Selectivity for Hyaluronic Acid among Glycosaminoglycans

Oligophenylenevinylene (OPV)‐based fluorescent (FL) chemosensors exhibiting linear FL responses toward polyanions were designed. Their application to FL sensing of glycosaminoglycans (heparin: HEP, chondroitin 4‐sulfate: ChS, and hyaluronic acid: HA) revealed that the charge density encoded as the unit structure directs the mode of OPV self‐assembly: H‐type aggregate for HEP with 16‐times FL increase and J‐type aggregate for HA with 93‐times FL increase, thus unexpectedly achieving the preferential selectivity for HA in contrast to the conventional HEP selective systems. We have found that the integral magnitude of three factors consisting of binding mechanism, self‐assembly, and FL response can amplify the structural information on the target input into the characteristic FL output. This emergent property has been used for a novel molecular recognition system that realizes unconventional FL sensing of HA, potentially applicable to the clinical diagnosis of cancer‐related diseases.     

Alternate layer-by-layer adsorption of single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes wrapped by functionalized beta-1,3-glucan polysaccharides

A great deal of attention has been focused on exploiting novel methods to fabricate thin carbonaceous capsules from multiple components for advanced materials. A layer-by-layer (LbL) method is therefore being introduced to synthesize thin and multi-carbon nanotube (CNT)-based hollow capsules from CNT complexes with cationic or anionic complementarily functionalized beta-1,3-glucans as building-blocks. These ionic beta-1,3-glucans wrap around single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) to form water-soluble complexes with ionic groups on their exterior surface. Alternate self-assembly of these CNT complexes on the silica particles is demonstrated in solution by electrostatic interactions. The LbL adsorption processes were carefully monitored by zeta-potential measurements, frequency shifts of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and electron micrographs. Silica particles were then dissolved away by HF acid to obtain CNT-based hollow capsules composed of SWNTs and DWNTs. We believe that these novel surface adsorption methods are useful for potential design of CNT-based advanced functional materials.     

"Clickable" metal-organic framework

We demonstrated the metal-organic framework bearing the azide group in the organic linkers and in situ click reactions with some small alkynes. The XRPD patterns indicated that the click reaction proceeded without any decomposition of the original MOF network. Controlling the organic linkers and incorporation of the azide groups should provide the designer-made MOFs that have controlled molecular cavities with the desired steric dimensions and functionality.     

Crystal Engineering Approach To Design Colorimetric Indicator Array To Discriminate Positional Isomers of Aromatic Organic Molecules

Discriminating by color : A 2D colorimetric indicator array has been designed by a crystal engineering approach (N???H? O hydrogen bonding and charge‐transfer complexation) involving solid‐state co‐grinding for the visual discrimination of positional isomers of dihydroxynaphthalene. Factors governing the close packing of π planes, and hence color of the complex, were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray analysis, allowing fine tuning by crystal engineering.

     

Unexpected chiral induction from achiral cationic polythiophene aggregates and its application to the sugar pattern recognition

The aggregates of a cationic polythiophene (PT1) formed in poor solvent in the presence of sugars showed the distinct circular dichroism activity, the intensity being well correlated with the specific optical rotation [α] of sugars: therefore, the present system is useful as a novel sugar structure reading-out method.     

Creation of chiral thixotropic gels through a crown-ammonium interaction and their application to a memory-erasing recycle system

A unique class of oligothiophene-based organogelator bearing two crown ethers at both ends was synthesized. This compound could gelatinize several organic solvents, forming one-dimensional fibrous aggregates. From the observation of circular dichroism, it was confirmed that the helical handedness of the fibrous assembly is controllable by the chirality of 1,2-bisammonium guests, thus suggesting that one guest molecule bridges two gelator molecules through the crown-ammonium interaction. Interestingly, we have found that such chirality is created by thermal gelation, whereas it disappears by thixotropic gelation. The new finding implies that the present organogel system is applicable as a reversible switching memory device, featuring memory creation by a heat mode and memory erasing by a mechanical mode.     

Phase-transfer catalysis in the N-benzylation of adenine

A convenient phase-transfer catalysis in the N-benzylation of adenine is described. The benzylation of adenine with benzyl halides in a two-phase system containing phase-transfer catalyst gave 9-benzylated adenines as a major product accompanied with 3-benzylated adenines.