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Self-assembly of macromolecules is fundamental to life itself, and historically, these systems have been primitively mimicked by the development of amphiphilic systems, driven by the hydrophobic effect. Herein, we demonstrate that self-assembly of purely hydrophilic systems can be readily achieved with similar ease and success. We have synthesized double hydrophilic block copolymers from polysaccharides and poly(ethylene oxide) or poly(sarcosine) to yield high molar mass diblock copolymers through oxime chemistry. These hydrophilic materials can easily assemble into nanosized (<500nm) and microsized (>5m) polymeric vesicles depending on concentration and diblock composition. Because of the solely hydrophilic nature of these materials, we expect them to be extraordinarily water permeable systems that would be well suited for use as cellular mimics.
Controlling interactions in synthetic polymers as precisely as in proteins would have a strong impact on polymer science. Advanced structural and functional control can lead to rational design of, integrated nano- and microstructures. To achieve this, properties of monomer sequence defined oligopeptides were exploited. Through their incorporation as monodisperse segments into synthetic polymers we learned in recent four years how to program the structure formation of polymers, to adjust and exploit interactions in such polymers, to control inorganic-organic interfaces in fiber composites and induce structure in Biomacromolecules like DNA for biomedical applications.
In recent years, the aim of supramolecular syntheses is not only the creation of particular structures but also the introduction of specific functions in these supramolecules. The present work describes the use of the ionic self-assembly (ISA) route to generate nanostructured materials with integrated functionality. Since the ISA strategy has proved to be a facile method for the production of liquid-crystalline materials, we investigated the phase behaviour, physical properties and function of a variety of ISA materials comprising a perylene derivative as the employed oligoelectrolyte. Functionality was introduced into the materials through the use of functional surfactants. In order to meet the requirements to produce functional ISA materials through the use of functional surfactants, we designed and synthesized pyrrole-derived monomers as surfactant building blocks. Owing to the presence of the pyrrole moiety, these surfactants are not only polymerizable but are also potentially conductive when polymerized. We adopted single-tailed and double-tailed N-substituted pyrrole monomers as target molecules. Since routine characterization analysis of the double-tailed pyrrole-containing surfactant indicated very interesting, complex phase behaviour, a comprehensive investigation of its interfacial properties and mesophase behavior was conducted. The synthesized pyrrole-derived surfactants were then employed in the synthesis of ISA complexes. The self-assembled materials were characterized and subsequently polymerized by both chemical and electrochemical methods. The changes in the structure and properties of the materials caused by the in-situ polymerization were addressed. In the second part of this work, the motif investigated was a property rather than a function. Since chiral superstructures have obtained much attention during the last few years, we investigated the possibility of chiral ISA materials through the use of chiral surfactants. Thus, the work involved synthesis of novel chiral surfactants and their incorporation in ISA materials with the aim of obtaining ionically self-assembled chiral superstructures. The results and insights presented here suggest that the presented synthesis strategy can be easily extended to incorporate any kind of charged tectonic unit with desired optical, electrical, or magnetic properties into supramolecular assemblies for practical applications.
Subdividing space through interfaces leads to many space partitions that are relevant to soft matter self-assembly. Prominent examples include cellular media, e.g. soap froths, which are bubbles of air separated by interfaces of soap and water, but also more complex partitions such as bicontinuous minimal surfaces.
Using computer simulations, this thesis analyses soft matter systems in terms of the relationship between the physical forces between the system's constituents and the structure of the resulting interfaces or partitions. The focus is on two systems, copolymeric self-assembly and the so-called Quantizer problem, where the driving force of structure formation, the minimisation of the free-energy, is an interplay of surface area minimisation and stretching contributions, favouring cells of uniform thickness.
In the first part of the thesis we address copolymeric phase formation with sharp interfaces. We analyse a columnar copolymer system "forced" to assemble on a spherical surface, where the perfect solution, the hexagonal tiling, is topologically prohibited. For a system of three-armed copolymers, the resulting structure is described by solutions of the so-called Thomson problem, the search of minimal energy configurations of repelling charges on a sphere. We find three intertwined Thomson problem solutions on a single sphere, occurring at a probability depending on the radius of the substrate.
We then investigate the formation of amorphous and crystalline structures in the Quantizer system, a particulate model with an energy functional without surface tension that favours spherical cells of equal size. We find that quasi-static equilibrium cooling allows the Quantizer system to crystallise into a BCC ground state, whereas quenching and non-equilibrium cooling, i.e. cooling at slower rates then quenching, leads to an approximately hyperuniform, amorphous state. The assumed universality of the latter, i.e. independence of energy minimisation method or initial configuration, is strengthened by our results. We expand the Quantizer system by introducing interface tension, creating a model that we find to mimic polymeric micelle systems: An order-disorder phase transition is observed with a stable Frank-Caspar phase.
The second part considers bicontinuous partitions of space into two network-like domains, and introduces an open-source tool for the identification of structures in electron microscopy images. We expand a method of matching experimentally accessible projections with computed projections of potential structures, introduced by Deng and Mieczkowski (1998). The computed structures are modelled using nodal representations of constant-mean-curvature surfaces. A case study conducted on etioplast cell membranes in chloroplast precursors establishes the double Diamond surface structure to be dominant in these plant cells. We automate the matching process employing deep-learning methods, which manage to identify structures with excellent accuracy.
Nanolenses are linear chains of differently-sized metal nanoparticles, which can theoretically provide extremely high field enhancements. The complex structure renders their synthesis challenging and has hampered closer analyses so far. Here, the technique of DNA origami was used to self-assemble DNA-coated 10 nm, 20 nm, and 60 nm gold or silver nanoparticles into gold or silver nanolenses. Three different geometrical arrangements of gold nanolenses were assembled, and for each of the three, sets of single gold nanolenses were investigated in detail by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dark-field scattering and Raman spectroscopy. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) capabilities of the single nanolenses were assessed by labelling the 10 nm gold nanoparticle selectively with dye molecules. The experimental data was complemented by finite-difference time-domain simulations. For those gold nanolenses which showed the strongest field enhancement, SERS signals from the two different internal gaps were compared by selectively placing probe dyes on the 20 nm or 60 nm gold particles. The highest enhancement was found for the gap between the 20 nm and 10 nm nanoparticle, which is indicative of a cascaded field enhancement. The protein streptavidin was labelled with alkyne groups and served as a biological model analyte, bound between the 20 nm and 10 nm particle of silver nanolenses. Thereby, a SERS signal from a single streptavidin could be detected. Background peaks observed in SERS measurements on single silver nanolenses could be attributed to amorphous carbon. It was shown that the amorphous carbon is generated in situ.
Racemic and highly enantioenriched 3-methoxycarbonyl, 3-carboxy, and 3-hydroxymethyl derivatives of dibenzo[6]helicene were prepared. The Langmuir layers of these helicenes were formed at the air-water interface and transferred onto solid substrates to afford Langmuir-Blodgett films, which were then studied by ambient atomic force microscopy and (chir)optical spectroscopy. Significant differences were found in the behaviour of the Langmuir layers as well as in the morphology, UV/Vis, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and fluorescence spectra of the Langmuir-Blodgett thin films depending on the molecular chirality and nature of the polar group. The experimental results were supported by molecular dynamics simulations.
Ionic liquid crystals (ILCs), that is, ionic liquids exhibiting mesomorphism, liquid crystalline phases, and anisotropic properties, have received intense attention in the past years. Among others, this is due to their special properties arising from the combination of properties stemming from ionic liquids and from liquid crystalline arrangements. Besides interesting fundamental aspects, ILCs have been claimed to have tremendous application potential that again arises from the combination of properties and architectures that are not accessible otherwise, or at least not accessible easily by other strategies. The current review highlights recent developments in ILC research, starting with some key fundamental aspects. Further subjects covered include the synthesis and variations of modern ILCs, including the specific tuning of their mesomorphic behavior. The review concludes with reflections on some applications that may be within reach for ILCs and finally highlights a few key challenges that must be overcome prior and during true commercialization of ILCs.
Formation of DNA-Copolymer Fibrils Through an Amyloid-Like Nucleation Polymerization Mechanism
(2015)
Conjugation of a hydrophobic poly(2-oxazoline) bearing tertiary amide groups along its backbone with a short single stranded nucleotide sequence results in an amphiphilic comb/graft copolymer, which organizes in fibrils upon direct dissolution in water. Supported by circular dichroism, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scattering data, fibrils are formed through inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding between hydrogen accepting amide groups along the polymer backbone and hydrogen donating nucleic acid grafts leading to the formation of hollow tubes.
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a powerful structure determination technique that is well-suited to the study of protein and polymer self-assembly in solution. In contrast to conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation, which often times involves drying and staining, the frozen-hydrated sample preparation allows the specimens to be kept and imaged in a state closest to their native one. Here, we give a short overview of the basic principles of Cryo-EM and review our results on applying it to the study of different protein and polymer self-assembled nanostructures. More specifically, we show how we have applied cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to visualize the internal morphology of self-assembled poly(ionic liquid) nanoparticles and cryo-EM single particle analysis (SPA) to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structures of artificial protein microtubules.
Self-assembly of polymeric building blocks is a powerful tool for the design of novel materials and structures that combine different properties and may respond to external stimuli. In the past decades, most studies were focused on the self-assembly of amphiphilic diblock copolymers in solution. The dissolution of these block copolymers in a solvent selective for one block results mostly in the formation of micelles. The micellar structure of diblock copolymers is inherently limited to a homogeneous core surrounded by a corona, which keeps the micelle in solution. Thus, for drug-delivery applications, such structures only offer a single domain (the hydrophobic inner core) for drug entrapment. Whereas multicompartment micelles composed of a water-soluble shell and a segregated hydrophobic core are novel, interesting morphologies for applications in a variety of fields including medicine, pharmacy and biotechnology. The separated incompatible compartments of the hydrophobic core could enable the selective entrapment and release of various hydrophobic drugs while the hydrophilic shell would permit the stabilization of these nanostructures in physiological media. However, so far, the preparation and control of stable multicompartment micellar systems are in the first stages and the number of morphological studies concerning such micelles is rather low. Thus considerably little is known about their exact inner structures. In the present study, we concentrate on four different approaches for the preparation of multicompartment micelles by self-assembly in aqueous media. A similarity of all approaches was that hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon blocks were selected for all employed copolymers since such segments tend to be strongly incompatible, and thus favor the segregation into distinct domains. Our studies have shown that the self-assembly of the utilized copolymers in aqueous solution leads in three cases to the formation of multicompartment micelles. As expected the shape and size of the micelles depend on the molecular architecture and to some extent also on the way of preparation. These novel structured colloids may serve as models as well as mimics for biological structures such as globular proteins, and may open interesting opportunities for nanotechnology applications.