Self-assembled Janus base nanotubes: chemistry and applications

Wuxia Zhang; Yupeng Chen

doi:10.3389/fchem.2023.1346014

Self-assembled Janus base nanotubes: chemistry and applications

Front Chem. 2024 Jan 18:11:1346014. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1346014. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wuxia Zhang¹, Yupeng Chen¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.

Abstract

Janus base nanotubes are novel, self-assembled nanomaterials. Their original designs were inspired by DNA base pairs, and today a variety of chemistries has developed, distinguishing them as a new family of materials separate from DNA origami, carbon nanotubes, polymers, and lipids. This review article covers the principal examples of self-assembled Janus base nanotubes, which are driven by hydrogen-bond and π-π stacking interactions in aqueous environments. Specifically, self-complementary hydrogen bonds organize molecules into ordered arrays, forming macrocycles, while π-π interactions stack these structures to create tubular forms. This review elucidates the molecular interactions that govern the assembly of nanotubes and advances our understanding of nanoscale self-assembly in water.

Keywords: Janus base nanotubes; RNA delivery; hydrogen bond; nanotechnology; scaffold; sensor; stacking.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study is supported by NIH 7R01AR072027, NIH 1R21AR079153-01A1, NSF Career Award 1905785, NSF 2025362, NSF 2234570, NASA 80JSC022CA006, DOD W81XWH2110274 and the University of Connecticut.