Light-controlled switching of the self-assembly of ill-defined amphiphilic SP-PAMAM. Issue 123 (26th November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fu, Shuang; Sun, Hongcheng; Li, Jiaxi; Bai, Yushi; Luo, Quan; Dong, Zeyuan; Xu, Jiayun; Liu, Junqiu
• Is Part Of: RSC advances. Volume 5:Issue 123(2015)
• Page Start: 101894
• Page End: 101899
• Publication Date: 2015-11-26
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540.5
• DOI: 10.1039/c5ra17264k
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2069

Abstract

Abstract : Spiropyrans-decorated polyamidoamine (SP-P3) with ill-defined structures was successfully prepared for the construction of photocontrolled supramolecular macrorods. Abstract : Light-responsive amphiphilic spiropyrans-decorated polyamidoamine (SP-P3) with ill-defined structure was prepared by using 3.0G-PAMAM as the scaffold and introducing the spiropyrans to the periphery of it randomly. Under visible light illumination, the ill-defined structure SP-P3 could form an adaptive amphiphilic macromolecule by rearranging dynamically the peripheral amino and SP groups on the surface of PAMAM. The resultant adaptive amphiphilic SP-P3 could hierarchically self-assemble into uniform macrorods about 800–1100 nm in width and 50–80 μm in length. When irradiated with UV light (365 nm), hydrophobic SP-P3 would isomerise into hydrophilic MC-P3, and induced the disassembly of rod-like aggregates. Irradiation with visible light transformed the MC-P3 back to the SP-P3 and then it could re-self-assemble into the rod-like aggregates. These results demonstrated that these macrorods could reversibly disassemble and re-self-assemble in aqueous solution under alternative UV and visible light irradiation. Our experiments not only provide a novel strategy for preparing responsive dynamic materials, but also support the concept that ill-defined amphiphilic macromolecules could also self-assemble to form well-shaped supramolecular structures.