Hierarchical Self-Assembly of a Dandelion-Like Supramolecular Polymer into Nanotubes for use as Highly Efficient Aqueous Light-Harvesting Systems

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• 作者：Dapeng Zhang ; Yannan Liu ; Yujiao Fan ; Chunyang Yu ; Yongli Zheng ; Haibao Jin ; Li Fu ; Yongfeng Zhou and Deyue Yan
• 刊名：Advanced Functional Materials
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：November 8, 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：26
• 期：42
• 页码：7652-7661
• 全文大小：2491K
• ISSN：1616-3028

文摘

A dandelion-like supramolecular polymer (DSP) with a “sphere-star-parachute” topological structure consisting of a spherical hyperbranched core and many parachute-like arms is constructed by the non-covalent host–guest coupling between a cyclodextrin-endcapped hyperbranched multi-arm copolymer (host) and many functionalized adamantanes with each having three alkyl chain arms (guests). The obtained DSPs can further self-assemble into nanotubes in water in a hierarchical way from vesicles to nanotubes through sequential vesicle aggregation and fusion steps. The nanotubes have a bilayer structure consisting of multiple “hydrophobic-hyperbranched-hydrophilic” layers. Such a structure is very useful for constructing a chlorosome-like artificial aqueous light-harvesting system, as demonstrated here, via the incorporation of hydrophobic 4-(2-hydroxyethylamino)-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole as donors inside the hyperbranched cores of the nanotubes and the hydrophilic Rhodamine B as the acceptors immobilized on the nanotube surfaces. This as-prepared nanotube light harvesting system demonstrates unexpectedly high energy transfer efficiency (above 90%) in water. This extends supramolecular polymers with more complex topological structure, special self-assembly behavior, and new functionality.