title: Understanding Pathway Complexity of Organic Micro/Nanofiber Growth in Hydrogen-Bonded Coassembly of Aromatic Amino Acids.
abstract: Rational engineering of one-dimensional (1D) self-assembled aggregates to produce desired materials for versatile functions remains a challenge. In this work, we report the noncovalent modulation of 1D aggregates at the micro/nanoscale using a coassembly protocol. Aromatic amino acids were employed as the model building blocks, and melamine (Mm) behaves as a modulator to form coassembly arrays with aromatic amino acids selectively. The selective self-assembly behavior between aromatic amino acids and Mm allows distinguishing and detecting Mm and aromatic amino acids from their analogues in macroscopic and microscopic scales. Dimensions and sizes of fibrous aggregates prepared from different amino acids show two opposite pathways from pristine assemblies to coassemblies induced by the addition of Mm. This pathway complexity could be controlled by the molecular conformation determined by α-positioned substituents. The developed hypothesis presents an excellent expansibility to other substrates, which may guide us to rationally design and screen 1D materials with different dimensions and sizes including the production of high-quality self-standing hydrogels.
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore.
authors.forename: Pengyao
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore.
authors.forename: Peizhou
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore.
authors.forename: Hongzhong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry of Ministry of Education and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University , Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Aiyou
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798, Singapore.
authors.forename: Yanli
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9231-8360
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D024322:Amino Acids, Aromatic / Q000737:chemistry*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D015394:Molecular Structure; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D024322:Amino Acids, Aromatic; D020100:Hydrogels; D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol; D006859:Hydrogen
keywords: aromatic amino acids; coassembly; hydrogen-bonding interaction; organic micro/nanofibers; pathway complexity