Stereoselective Growth of Small Molecule Patches on Nanoparticles

J Am Chem Soc. 2021 Aug 11;143(31):12138-12144. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c04272. Epub 2021 Jul 16.

Abstract

Patchy nanoparticles featuring tunable surface domains with spatial and chemical specificity are of fundamental interest, especially for creating three-dimensional (3D) colloidal structures. Guided assembly and regioselective conjugation of polymers have been widely used to manipulate such topography on nanoparticles; however, the processes require presynthesized specialized polymer chains and elaborate assembly conditions. Here, we show how small molecules can form 3D patches in aqueous environments in a single step. The patch features (e.g., size, number, conformation, and stereoselectivity) are modulated by a self-polymerizable aromatic dithiol and comixed ligands, which indicates an autonomous assembly mechanism involving covalent polymerization and supramolecular assembly. Moreover, this method is independent of the underlying nanoparticle material and dimension, offering a streamlined and powerful toolset to design heterogeneous patches on the nanoscale.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Colloids / chemical synthesis
  • Colloids / chemistry
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Particle Size
  • Polymerization
  • Small Molecule Libraries / chemical synthesis*
  • Small Molecule Libraries / chemistry
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Surface Properties
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Colloids
  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • Water