Diversifying Nanoparticle Superstructures and Functions Enabled by Translative Templating from Supramolecular Polymerization

Abstract

Biology exploits a transcription–translation approach to deliver structural information from DNA to the protein‐building machines with high precision. Here, we show how the structural information of small synthetic molecules could be used to guide the assembly of inorganic nanoparticles into diversified yet long‐range ordered superstructures, enabling the information transfer across four or five orders of magnitude in length scale. We designed three perylene diimide (PDI) based isomers differing by their site‐specific substitutions of the methyl group, which were able to supramolecularly polymerize into diverse structures. Importantly, coassembly of these PDI isomers with nanoparticles (NPs) could produce diverse long‐range ordered nanoparticle superstructures, including one‐dimensional NPs chains, double helical NPs assemblies and two‐dimensional NPs superlattices. Equally important, we demonstrate that the information originated from small molecules could diversify the functions of the self‐assembled nanocomposites.

Rigid POSS Nanofiller Regulated the Interfacial Self‐assembly of Particles into 2D Monolayer Superlattice with Fixed Interparticle Spacing†

“…Interfacial assembly is one efficient strategy to manufacture SLNPs via the volatilization of organic solvent and interaction between NPs. The properties of ligands dominate the assembly of SLNPs, including the size, [ 28‐29 ] interaction [ 30‐32 ] and the phase behavior of them in variable solvent environment. [ 33‐34 ] The week interaction (van der Waals interaction, electrostatic, electromagnetic dipolar, depletion, etc .)…”

Chiral superstructures of inorganic nanorods by macroscopic mechanical grinding

“…Moreover, linking mechanochemistry to supramolecular fields fuels intense studies of emerging supramolecular materials such as coordinating molecular cages, metal-organic frameworks, and interlocked rotaxanes and so forth 6 – 10 . Driven by multiple interparticle supramolecular interactions, assembly of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) into diverse ordered superstructures could be a productive means to engineer macroscopic materials with emergent nanoscopic functionalities 11 – 16 . Nevertheless, one of the canons of self-assembly at the nanoscale is that the physical and/or chemical properties of the NP superstructures are inherently coded in their individual counterpart.…”