The regulation of surface wettability and cell adhesion behavior in a mild and unperturbed state at the interface remains a challenging task. To address this task, we adopt a strategy, based on bridging the host-guest recognition capacities of pillar[5]arene and good attachment for cell adhesion abilities of graphene oxide, to construct a smart pillar[5]arene triazole-linked naphthalene-modified graphene oxide interface. The hybrid surface exhibited a good stimuli-responsive selectivity toward arginine, as demonstrated by the wettability and cell adhesion behavior. Further studies at molecular levels indicated that the recognition mechanism of arginine was probably due to the formation of a host-guest complex driven by π-π stacking interactions between the cavity of pillar[5]arenes and arginine, which eventually resulted in the change in surface wettability and cellular adhesion behavior. It not only signifies a host-guest interaction strategy for the design of smart devices via the host-guest effect but also inspires the design of high-performance biointerface for affinity-adherent cells without exposing cells to harsh physical and chemical conditions.
Keywords: arginine; cell adhesion behavior; graphene oxide; host−guest chemistry; pillar[5]arenes.