title: Environment-dependent guest exchange in supramolecular hosts.
abstract: Dynamic exchange of guest molecules, encapsulated in host assemblies, is a phenomenon in supramolecular chemistry that has important implications in several applications. While the mechanism of exchange in micellar assemblies has been previously investigated, the effect of host and guest environment upon the guest-exchange dynamics has received little attention, if any. In this paper, we study the guest-exchange mechanism in pH-sensitive nanogels along with pH-insensitive nanogels as a control. By systematically comparing the behavior of these nanogels, we show that size, concentration, and hydrophobicity can all play a critical role in guest-exchange dynamics. More importantly, these studies reveal that the dominant mechanism of guest exchange can intimately depend on environmental factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts , 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9336, United States.
authors.forename: Longyu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thayumanavan
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D015394:Molecular Structure; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents