Tailored Solid-State Carbohydrate Nanostructures Based on Star-Shaped Discrete Block Co-Oligomers

Biomacromolecules. 2022 Sep 12;23(9):3978-3989. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00813. Epub 2022 Aug 30.

Abstract

Carbohydrates are key building blocks for advanced functional materials owing to their biological functions and unique material properties. Here, we propose a star-shaped discrete block co-oligomer (BCO) platform to access carbohydrate nanostructures in bulk and thin-film states via the microphase separation of immiscible carbohydrate and hydrophobic blocks (maltooligosaccharides with 1-4 glucose units and solanesol, respectively). BCOs with various star-shaped architectures and saccharide volume fractions were synthesized using a modular approach. In the bulk, the BCOs self-assembled into common lamellar, cylindrical, and spherical carbohydrate microdomains as well as double gyroid, hexagonally perforated lamellar, and Fddd network morphologies with domain spacings of ∼7 nm. In thin films, long-range-ordered periodic carbohydrate microdomains were fabricated via spin coating. Such controlled spatial arrangements of functional carbohydrate moieties on the nanoscale have great application potential in biomedical and nanofabrication fields.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbohydrates
  • Nanostructures* / chemistry

Substances

  • Carbohydrates