Water‐Soluble Aromatic Nanobelt with Unique Cellular Internalization

Abstract

A water‐soluble aromatic nanobelt was synthesized, and its cellular uptake behavior in HeLa cells was investigated. The late‐stage functionalization of the parent methylene‐bridged [6]cycloparaphenylene ([6]MCPP) provided an easily accessible alkyne‐functionalized nanobelt in a single reaction step. The alkyne‐substituted [6]MCPP was subjected to Cu‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition by using a dye‐attached azide to obtain a water‐soluble aromatic nanobelt. Cell‐imaging experiments on the synthesized nanobelt in HeLa cells revealed stop‐and‐go cellular uptake dynamics. Similar experiments with control molecules and theoretical studies indicated that the unique dynamics of the nanobelt was derived from the belt‐shaped structure.