Assembly and Chiral Memory Effects of Dynamic Macroscopic Supramolecular Helices

• Published in: Chemistry : a European journal Vol. 24; no. 62; pp. 16553 - 16557
• Main Authors: Yuan, Tianyu, Sun, Zhimin, Mu, Anthony U., Zeng, Minxiang, Kalin, Alexander J., Cheng, Zhengdong, Olson, Mark A., Fang, Lei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 07.11.2018
• Subjects: Chemistry; chiral memory; donor–acceptor systems; Electrons; Fibers; Handedness; helical structures; Helices; self-assembly; supramolecular chemistry; self-assembly; donor-acceptor systems; supramolecular chemistry; chiral memory; helical structures
• ISSN: 0947-6539; 1521-3765; 1521-3765
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803005

Macroscopic enantiomerically pure helical supramolecular fibers are bottom‐up assembled in aqueous media from a chiral π‐electron donor template and an achiral π‐electron acceptor. The helices can be assembled to the sub‐millimeter scale with controlled handedness. These dynamic supramolecular architectures allow for a quantitative exchange of the chiral donor template with achiral analogues. During this process, a chiral memory effect was observed, affording enantiomerically pure helices composed entirely of achiral components. Macroscopic enantiomerically pure helical supramolecular fibers were bottom‐up assembled in aqueous media from a chiral π‐electron donor template and an achiral π‐electron acceptor. The helices can be assembled to the sub‐millimeter scale with controlled handedness.