Vesicle-shaped supramolecular polymers are formed by self-assembly of a DNA duplex containing phenanthrene overhangs at both ends. In the presence of spermine, the phenanthrene overhangs act as sticky ends linking the DNA duplexes together. In aqueous solution, the assembly leads to vesicles with a diameter in the range of 50-200 nm. Fluorescence measurements show that the assembled phenanthrene units act as light-harvesting complexes and transfer absorbed energy to an acceptor, such as pyrene or Cy3, which can either be directly added to the polymer or attached via a complementary DNA strand. The presence of DNA in the nanostructures allows the construction of light-harvesting vesicles that are amenable to derivatization with different functional groups.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.