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Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach

Supramolecular self-assembly of small organic molecules has emerged as a powerful tool to construct well-defined micro- and nanoarchitecture through fine-tuning a range of intermolecular interactions. The size, shape, and optical properties of these nanostructures largely depend on the specific asse...

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Autores principales: Kundu, Subhankar, Chowdhury, Arkaprava, Nandi, Somen, Bhattacharyya, Kankan, Patra, Abhijit
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8179674/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34168812
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d0sc07050e
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author Kundu, Subhankar
Chowdhury, Arkaprava
Nandi, Somen
Bhattacharyya, Kankan
Patra, Abhijit
author_facet Kundu, Subhankar
Chowdhury, Arkaprava
Nandi, Somen
Bhattacharyya, Kankan
Patra, Abhijit
author_sort Kundu, Subhankar
collection PubMed
description Supramolecular self-assembly of small organic molecules has emerged as a powerful tool to construct well-defined micro- and nanoarchitecture through fine-tuning a range of intermolecular interactions. The size, shape, and optical properties of these nanostructures largely depend on the specific assembly of the molecular building units, temperature and polarity of the medium, and external stimuli. The engineering of supramolecular self-assembled nanostructures with morphology-dependent tunable emission is in high demand due to the promising scope in nanodevices and molecular machines. However, probing the evolution of molecular aggregates from the solution and directing the self-assembly process in a pre-defined fashion are challenging. In the present study, we have deciphered the sequential evolution of supramolecular nanofibers from solution to spherical and oblong-shaped nanoparticles through the variation of solvent polarity, tuning the hydrophobic–hydrophilic interactions. An intriguing case of molecular self-assembly has been elucidated employing a newly designed π-conjugated thiophene derivative (TPAn) through a combination of steady-state absorption, emission measurements, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), and electron microscopy. The FCS analysis and microscopy results revealed that the small-sized nanofibers in the dispersion further agglomerated upon solvent evaporation, resulting in a network of nanofibers. Stimuli-responsive reversible interconversion between a network of nanofibers and spherical nanoaggregates was probed both in dispersion and solvent-evaporated state. The evolution of organic nanofibers and a subtle control over the self-assembly process demonstrated in the current investigation provide a general paradigm to correlate the size, shape, and emission properties of fluorescent molecular aggregates in complex heterogeneous media, including a human cell.
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spelling pubmed-81796742021-06-23 Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach Kundu, Subhankar Chowdhury, Arkaprava Nandi, Somen Bhattacharyya, Kankan Patra, Abhijit Chem Sci Chemistry Supramolecular self-assembly of small organic molecules has emerged as a powerful tool to construct well-defined micro- and nanoarchitecture through fine-tuning a range of intermolecular interactions. The size, shape, and optical properties of these nanostructures largely depend on the specific assembly of the molecular building units, temperature and polarity of the medium, and external stimuli. The engineering of supramolecular self-assembled nanostructures with morphology-dependent tunable emission is in high demand due to the promising scope in nanodevices and molecular machines. However, probing the evolution of molecular aggregates from the solution and directing the self-assembly process in a pre-defined fashion are challenging. In the present study, we have deciphered the sequential evolution of supramolecular nanofibers from solution to spherical and oblong-shaped nanoparticles through the variation of solvent polarity, tuning the hydrophobic–hydrophilic interactions. An intriguing case of molecular self-assembly has been elucidated employing a newly designed π-conjugated thiophene derivative (TPAn) through a combination of steady-state absorption, emission measurements, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), and electron microscopy. The FCS analysis and microscopy results revealed that the small-sized nanofibers in the dispersion further agglomerated upon solvent evaporation, resulting in a network of nanofibers. Stimuli-responsive reversible interconversion between a network of nanofibers and spherical nanoaggregates was probed both in dispersion and solvent-evaporated state. The evolution of organic nanofibers and a subtle control over the self-assembly process demonstrated in the current investigation provide a general paradigm to correlate the size, shape, and emission properties of fluorescent molecular aggregates in complex heterogeneous media, including a human cell. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021-03-18 /pmc/articles/PMC8179674/ /pubmed/34168812 http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d0sc07050e Text en This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
spellingShingle Chemistry
Kundu, Subhankar
Chowdhury, Arkaprava
Nandi, Somen
Bhattacharyya, Kankan
Patra, Abhijit
Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
title Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
title_full Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
title_fullStr Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
title_full_unstemmed Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
title_short Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
title_sort deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
topic Chemistry
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8179674/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34168812
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d0sc07050e
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