Higher order self-assembly of polymer micelles/vesicles via specific interactions

COLL 460

Yan Geng, ygeng@chem.uga.edu, Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, 1001 Cedar Street, Athens, GA 30605
The association of amphiphilic block copolymers into spherical, cylindrical micelles and vesicles through hydrophobic interactions is a well-known primary self-assembly process. While higher-order self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature and is crucial for biological structures and functions, very few efforts have been made to synthetically construct and uncover the principles of higher-order self-assemblies. Herein, by exploiting various specific interaction motifs and by conjugating such motifs onto the surface of polymer micelles/vesicles, such as H-bonding between diaminopyridine and thymine, complementary oligonucleotide sequences, as well as metal-coordination interactions, we report higher-order self-assembly formation with controlled geometry and reversible kinetics.