Search

Autocatalytic pH clocks can be useful to control self-assembly in the time domain. Their applications are, however, limited by the currently available toolbox. We describe here an approach for the design of a dynamic pH switch that generates intense alkali-to-acid changes after a tailorable lagtime (from minutes to hours), and we demonstrate its application for the time-controlled supramolecular self-assembly of nanofibers., Molecular Systems Design & Engineering, 5 (2), ISSN:2058-9689

Self-regulating materials require embedded control systems. Active networks of enzymes fulfill this function in living organisms, and the development of chemical controls for synthetic systems is still in its infancy. While previous work has focused on enzymatic controls, small-molecule networks have unexplored potential. We describe a simple small-molecule network that is able to produce transient pH cycles with tunable lagtimes and lifetimes, based on coupling the acid-to-alkali methylene glycol-sulfite reaction to 1,3-propanesultone, a slow acid generator. Applied to transient pH-driven supramolecular self-assembly of a perylene diimide, our system matches the flexibility of in vitro enzymatic systems, including the ability to perform repeated cycles of assembly and disassembly., Soft Matter, 16 (3), ISSN:1744-683X, ISSN:1744-6848