Dissipative self-assembly of vesicular nanoreactors.
Dissipative self-assembly is exploited by nature to control important biological functions, such as cell division, motility and signal transduction. The ability to construct synthetic supramolecular assemblies that require the continuous consumption of energy to remain in the functional state is an essential premise for the design of synthetic systems with lifelike properties. Here, we show a new strategy for the dissipative self-assembly of functional supramolecular structures with high structural complexity. It relies on the transient stabilization of vesicles through noncovalent interactions between the surfactants and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which acts as the chemical fuel. It is shown that the lifetime of the vesicles can be regulated by controlling the hydrolysis rate of ATP. The vesicles sustain a chemical reaction but only as long as chemical fuel is present to keep the system in the out-of-equilibrium state. The lifetime of the vesicles determines the amount of reaction product produced by the system.
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Subhabrata
0000-0002-2554-0762
S
Maiti
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Ilaria
I
Fortunati
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Camilla
C
Ferrante
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Paolo
0000-0002-6741-3374
P
Scrimin
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Leonard J
0000-0001-6664-822X
LJ
Prins
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000737:chemistry; D001372:Aza Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D022162:Cytoplasmic Vesicles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry*; D010880:Piperidines / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors
D001372:Aza Compounds; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D010880:Piperidines; C482777:triazacyclononane; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate