title: Supramolecular polymerization of a prebiotic nucleoside provides insights into the creation of sequence-controlled polymers.
abstract: Self-assembly of a nucleoside on Au(111) was studied to ascertain whether polymerization on well-defined substrates constitutes a promising approach for making sequence-controlled polymers. Scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory were used to investigate the self-assembly on Au(111) of (RS)-N(9)-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)adenine (DHPA), a plausibly prebiotic nucleoside analog of adenosine. It is found that DHPA molecules self-assemble into a hydrogen-bonded polymer that grows almost exclusively along the herringbone reconstruction pattern, has a two component sequence that is repeated over hundreds of nanometers, and is erasable with electron-induced excitation. Although the sequence is simple, more complicated ones are envisioned if two or more nucleoside types are combined. Because polymerization occurs on a substrate in a dry environment, the success of each combination can be gauged with high-resolution imaging and accurate modeling techniques. These characteristics make nucleoside self-assembly on a substrate an attractive approach for designing sequence-controlled polymers. Further, by choosing plausibly prebiotic nucleosides, insights may be provided into how nature created the first sequence-controlled polymers capable of storing information. Such insights, in turn, can inspire new ways of synthesizing sequence-controlled polymers.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Peter V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Bonnesen
authors.affiliation: Escuela Superior de Apan, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Apan-Calpulalpan km. 8, Apan Hidalgo, C.P. 43900, México.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.affiliation: Escuela Superior de Apan, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Apan-Calpulalpan km. 8, Apan Hidalgo, C.P. 43900, México.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vallejo
authors.affiliation: Escuela Superior de Apan, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Apan-Calpulalpan km. 8, Apan Hidalgo, C.P. 43900, México.
authors.forename: Ariadna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Castillo
authors.affiliation: Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.|Institute for Advanced Study, 1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.|Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 1515 Gallatin St. NW, Washington, DC 20011.|Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: James Cleaves Ii
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Arthur P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Baddorf
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.|Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Bobby G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Sumpter
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.|MOE Key Laboratory of Fundamental Physical Quantities Measurements, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
authors.forename: Minghu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Petro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maksymovych
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.|Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fuentes-Cabrera
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D058105:Polymerization; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D056692:Prebiotics
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers; D056692:Prebiotics; C016391:9-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)adenine; D006046:Gold; D000225:Adenine