Bioinspired molecular and macromolecular systems could be a driver for new generation semiconductor-synthetic biology (Semi-Syn-Bio) technologies, shifting the materials design paradigm by utilizing bioinspired and biological structures to design molecular and supramolecular architectures as bionanomaterials in the fabrication of devices and components. Herein, a simple and rapid self-assembly approach of interfacial coordination programming of a biological amphiphile, a fatty acid, using a transition metal ion, copper cation (Cu 2+ ) to direct the formation of nanoflowers of Cu 2+ -conjugated supramolecular structures is demonstrated. The fatty acid molecules form complexes with the copper ions and then self-assemble into microstructures with flower-like petals, which are highly nanoporous thin sheets. The growth of microstructures is found to be independent from the precursors' stoichiometric ratios, demonstrating a versatile interfacial coordination programming approach to make crystalline, uniquely shaped-double peony flower-like microstructures. It is anticipated that design principles and directed self-assembly approaches for the interfacial coordination programming of biomolecules may advance the state-of-the-art of biomaterials research, providing deeper understanding in the paradigm of design, synthesis, self-assembly, and fabrication of Semi-Syn-Bio superstructure systems.

The first study on biodegradable low-κ dielectric nanomaterials with a silsesquioxane framework is demonstrated utilizing a natural polyphenol, tannic acid.

No abstract

Supramolecular chemistry of folic acid is studied and revealed by exploring its assembly and disassembly process in a liquid–liquid interface. Experimental and computational studies are conducted to understand the interfacial interactions of folic acid in a oil-in-water interface by investigating the role of folic acid’s critical aggregation concentration (CAC), molecular arrangement, and intermolecular interactions at the molecular level. The folic acid’s CAC, determined from the concentration-dependent UV–vis absorption spectra in water/methanol solvent system, is found to be 2.72[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M. The sigmoidal behavior of folic acid’s maximum absorbances with respect to different folic acid concentrations reveals the nature of the self-assembly dynamics and aggregative assemblies’ formation by three signature phases, in which CAC lies in the second phase — the growth phase. The computational studies reveal the intermolecular interactions and molecular orientation of folic acid molecules. They interact each other via H2-bonding between carboxylic acid groups in two glutamate units and two amine groups in pteridine units and [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] interactions between pteridine units and phenyl units, orienting two units in a parallel stacked arrangement. Correlating the computed intermolecular interactions and structural orientation of folic acid with its solid-state crystal packing structure has provided strong evidence supporting its supramolecular chemistry and assembly dynamics to make nanoassemblies in a liquid–liquid interface.