Biomolecular guest induced helical supramolecular polymers under microfluidic control

Abstract

Today, supramolecular chemistry presents many challenges, like building self-assembled systems with a wide variety of architectures and to develop assemblies which are kinetically controlled instead of typically obtained thermodynamic systems. To create organized nanostructures, it would be especially useful to control the intermolecular interactions using externally added guest molecules, whereas kinetic structures can be obtained using flow systems with controlled diffusion1. In this project we have studied the self-assembly of Naphtalenediimide (NDI) and Perylenediimide (PDI) derivatives, produced by the π-π interactions of their aromatic rings. These positively charged achiral monomers, interact with the negatively charged chiral biomolecules such as (ATP) and Heparin using electrostatic interactions. This generates a supramolecular chiral structure which the chirality is induced from biomolecules to the assembly of achiral NDI and PDI molecules. The self-assembly was obtained using the conventional bulk method as well as using microfluidic techniques with controlled diffusion, and the results were compared afterwards. The supramolecular helical structures obtained with both methods were characterized with UV-visible spectroscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy and Circular Dichroism