Transcript Superamphiphiles for Controlled Self-assembly and Disassembly

Department of Chemistry
Seminar Announcement
Date/Time/Venue
Title/Speaker
20 Jan (Thu)
11am – 12nn
Superamphiphiles for Controlled Selfassembly and Disassembly
@ S8 Level 3
Executive
Classroom
Professor Zhang Xi
Tsinghua University, China
Host : Assoc Prof Xu Qing-hua
About the Speaker
Prof. Xi Zhang earned his Ph.D. (1992) in the field of polymer
chemistry and physics under the joint-supervision of Prof. Jiacong
Shen, Jilin University and Prof. Helmut Ringsdorf, University of
Mainz, Germany. He worked at Key Lab of Supramolecular
Structure and Materials, Jilin University as a lecturer and then full
professor from 1992 to 2004. Since 2004, he is a full professor of the
Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing. He is senior
editor of Langmuir and has served as Editorial Board Members of
several journals, including Chemical Communications. In 2007, he
was selected as a member of Chinese Academy of Sciences. In
2008, he was selected as fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, UK.
Since 2010, he is vice president of Chinese Chemical Society. His research interests are
focused on supramolecular assembly, polymer thin films, and single-molecular force
spectroscopy of polymers.
Abstract
Superamphiphiles are amphiphiles that are formed by non-covalent interactions. It can be driven
by single noncovalent interaction including host-guest interactions, hydrogen bonds, and charge
transfer interactions or combined interaction of different noncovalent forces.[1] The
superamphiphiles can be low-molecule-weight as well as polymers. In contrast to conventional
amphiphiles, superamphiphiles are synthesized by noncovalent bonds, thus reducing the needs of
chemical synthesis.
Generally, using the concept of supramolecular engineering, we can fabricate superamphiphile
with various topologies. The topologies of superamphiphiles include bola-form, Gemini form, Hform, X-form, etc, which also exist in conventional amphiphiles. Moreover, some topologies, such as
rotaxane-form, which doesn’t exist in conventional amphiphiles, can also be realized in
superamphiphiles.
One of the advantages of superamphiphiles is that functional groups, such as stimuli-responsive
moieties, can be attached to the superamphiphiles on the basis of noncovalent interactions.
Therefore, superamphiphiles are easy to be functionalized. As a result, superamphiphiles are a new
type of building blocks that are able to fabricate “smart” self-assembling nanostructures, such as
pH-responsive nanofibers, photo-responsive nanocontainers, enzyme-responsive drug delivery
cargoes.
In summary, if the formation of superamphiphiles is regarded as a first-order self-assembly, it is
probable that superamphiphiles can function as building blocks for constructing highly-ordered
assemblies by so-called second-order self-assembly. The advance of superamphiphiles will not
only enrich the family of conventional amphiphiles that are formed based on covalent bonds, but
will also provide a new bridge between the colloidal and supramolecular sciences. In addition, it
provides a new avenue for the assembly of functional supramolecular materials.
Key words: superamphiphiles, supramolecular
functional supramolecular nanostructures
All are Welcome
engineering,
hierarchical
self-assembly,