title: Supramolecular polymer transformation: a kinetic study.
abstract: Investigation of supramolecular kinetics is essential for elucidating self-assembly mechanisms. Recently, we reported on a noncovalent system involving a bolaamphiphilic perylene diimide dimer that is kinetically trapped in water but can rearrange into a different, more ordered assembly in water/THF mixtures ( Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014 , 53 , 4123 ). Here we present a kinetic mechanistic study of this process by employing UV-vis spectroscopy. The transformation exhibits a rapid decrease in the red-shifted absorption band, which is monitored in order to track the kinetics at different temperatures (15-50 °C) and concentrations. Fitting the data with the 1D KJMA (Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami) model affords the activation parameters. The latter as well as seeding experiments indicates that the transformation occurs without the detachment of covalent units, and that hydration dynamics plays a significant role in nucleation, with entropic factors being dominant. Switching off the transformation, and the formation of off-pathway intermediates were observed upon heating to temperatures above 55 °C. These insights into kinetically controlled supramolecular polymer transformations provide mechanistic information that is needed for a fundamental understanding of noncovalent processes, and the rational design of noncovalent materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baram
authors.forename: Haim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weissman
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rybtchinski