Supramolecular Self‐Assembly of Ionic Discotic Liquid Crystalline Dimer with DNA at Interfaces

Abstract

Nanoarchitectonics through ionic self‐assembly at interfaces is an attractive approach to obtain advanced functional materials. Here, a novel discotic dimer‐DNA complex hybrid system has been investigated at air‐water and air‐solid interfaces. The ionic discotic liquid crystalline dimer consisted of two triphenylene cores linked via alkyl spacer with a imidazolium moiety. At air‐water interface, the dimer formed a stable monolayer with a reversible collapse. The surface manometry results suggested that the condensed phase of the monolayer consisted of molecules arranged in an edge‐on conformation. To understand the folding behavior of the molecules, DFT calculations were carried out which showed that the quantum chemically optimized folded‐form of the molecule was electronically more stable than its unfolded‐form. Upon adding DNA to the subphase, a complex monolayer was formed with enhanced stability as was indicated by increased collapse pressure and decreased limiting area. Importantly, this complexation enabled an efficient and stable multilayer formation on silicon substrates with layers as many as 40. Since both DNA and discotic dimer molecules share common properties of one‐dimensional charge transport with compatible structures, this complex film could serve as a model system for organic electronics.

Influence of Coulombic Interaction on the Interfacial Self-Assembly of Discotic Liquid Crystal Amphiphiles: A Combined Experimental and Computer Simulation Study

“…Interestingly, DLCs with an interlayer spacing of 0.34 nm have been regarded as a chemically synthesized version of DNA-mimic . Moreover, hybrid structures of DLC–DNA complexes have been reported in the bulk as well as at interfaces. , Currently, the self-assembly properties of DLCs are a hot topic of research because of the unique charge- and energy-transport properties that offer huge possibilities for developing quantum conductive devices …”

Unambiguous Determination of Electrostatically Driven Molecular Packing in a Triphenylene–Surfactant Complex Monolayer

“…The procedure of film preparation can be found in a recent report. [ 34 ] TPC was dissolved in chloroform, and a stock solution with a concentration of 0.33 mg mL −1 was prepared. To form a monolayer at A–W interface, 50 µL of the stock solution was added on the surface of water.…”

Luminescent Imidazolium Salts as Bright Multi‐Faceted Tools for Biology

“…Therefore, various amphiphilic structures capable of integrating nucleic acids have been investigated, ranging from simple alkyl chains substituted on the imidazolium ring, [67] i. e., micellar aggregates capable of penetrating the lipid bilayer, to polyaromatics capable of strong π‐stacking with nucleic acids. However, the latter structures can only self‐organize into monolayers, excluding transfection applications for the time being [68] …”

“…However, the latter structures can only self-organize into monolayers, excluding transfection applications for the time being. [68] Guo et al [69] have studied an ionic mesogen based on lauryl isoquinolinium, a photoactive molecular salt. The latter exhibits nucleic acid-compaction properties showing a strong potential for future application in photodynamic and gene therapy.…”