Self-assembly cooperativity

Gimzewski J K, Modesti S and Schlittler R R 1994 Cooperative self-assembly of Au atoms and Cgg on Au(110) surfaoes Phys Rev. Lett. 72 1036-9... 

Lee T.A.T., Cooper A., Apkarian R.P., and Conticello V.P. Thermo-reversible self-assembly of nano-particles derived from elastin-mimetic polypeptides. Advanced Materials, 12, 1105, 2000. 

Self-assembled structures can be closed if all the potential binding sites are utilized, or open if they are not. Closed assemblies have a definite geometry and stoichiometry, while open assemblies exist as mixtures of oligomers or polymers of varying stoichiometry. In addition, the self-assembled structure can be classified as cooperative if the multiple binding interactions reinforce each other to yield enhanced stability, or trivial if the binding interactions do not cooperate in the... 

The stability of a trivial assembly is simply determined by the thermodynamic properties of the discrete intermolecular binding interactions involved. Cooperative assembly processes involve an intramolecular cyclization, and this leads to an enhanced thermodynamic stability compared with the trivial analogs. The increase in stability is quantified by the parameter EM, the effective molarity of the intramolecular process, as first introduced in the study of intramolecular covalent cyclization reactions (6,7). EM is defined as the ratio of the binding constant of the intramolecular interaction to the binding constant of the corresponding intermolecular interaction (Scheme 2). The former can be determined by measuring the stability of the self-assembled structure, and the latter value is determined using simple monofunctional reference compounds. 

The value of EM for a cooperative self-assembled structure provides a measure of the monomer concentration at which trivial polymeric structures start to compete, and therefore EM represents the upper limit of the concentration range within which the cooperative structure is stable (Scheme 2). The lower limit of this range is called the critical self-assembly concentration (csac) and is determined by the stoichiometry of the assembly and the strength of the non-covalent binding interactions weaker interactions and larger numbers of components raise the csac and narrow the stability window of the assembly (8). Theoretical treatments of the thermodynamics of the self-assembly process have been reported by Hunter (8), Sanders (9), and Mandolini (10). The value of EM is lowered by enthalpic contributions associated with... 

The aniline-zinc porphyrin interaction has also been exploited to form dimers. Hunter (60) reported the dimerization of porphyrins functionalized at one meso position with ortho or meta aniline groups (47, 48, Fig. 15). Both compounds showed concentration-dependent H NMR spectra with large upfield shifts for the aniline protons. The dimerization constants are 160 and 1080 M-1 respectively for 47 and 48, and these values are an order of magnitude higher than the association constants of simple reference complexes (K — 10 and 130 M 1 respectively), which is indicative of cooperative self-assembly. The complexa-tion-induced changes in chemical shift were used to obtain three-dimensional structures of the dimers. 

Hunter (60) reported a self-assembled open polymer formed by a zinc porphyrin bearing one para-aniline substituent at the meso position. The ortho- and mela-analogs discussed above form closed dimers, but the geometry of the para-derivative precludes this, and polymerization is the only alternative (76, Fig. 31). Although the dilution experiments could be fitted to a non-cooperative polymerization model with a pairwise association constant (K = 190 M 1) practically identical to that found for simple aniline-zinc porphyrin complexes (K = 130 M 1), broadening of the 4H NMR spectrum at high concentrations is characteristic of oligomerization. 

Time-resolved in situ Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) investigations have provided direct experimental evidence for the initial steps in the formation of the SBA-15 mesoporous material, prepared using the non-ionic tri-block copolymer Pluronic 123 and TEOS as silica precursor. Upon time, three steps take place during the cooperative self-assembly of the Pluronic micelles and the silica species. First, the hydrolysis of TEOS is completed, without modifications of the Pluronic spherical micelles. Then, when silica species begin to interact with the micelles, a transformation from spherical to cylindrical micelles takes place before the precipitation of the ordered SBA-15 material. Lastly, the precipitation occurs and hybrid cylindrical micelles assemble into the two-dimensional hexagonal structure of SBA-15. 

Scotchford CA, Gilmore CP, Cooper E, Leggett GJ, Downes S (2002) Protein adsorption and human osteoblast-like cell attachment and growth on alkylthiol on gold self-assembled monolayers. J Biomed Mater Res 59 84-99... 

Tegoulia VA, Rao W, Kalambur AT, Rabolt JF, Cooper SL (2001) Surface properties, fibrinogen adsorption, and cellular interactions of a novel phosphorylcholine-containing self-assembled monolayer on gold. Langmuir 17 4396-4404... 

L. Jiang, C.J. McNeil, and J.M. Cooper, Direct electron transfer reaction of glucose oxidase immobilized at a self-assembled monolayer. J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1293-1295 (1995). 

Pace G, Ferri V, Grave C, Elbing M, Zhamikov M, Major M, Rarnpi MA, Samori P (2007) Cooperative light-induced molecular movements of highly ordered azobenzene self-assembled monolayers. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104 9937-9942... 

Cooperative Self-Assembly into Chiral Columns... 

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