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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Mechanical and Structural Tuning of Reversible Hydrogen Bonding in Interlocked Calixarene Nanocapsules
Gregor DiezemannKen SchäferStefan Jaschoneksubject
Materials science010304 chemical physicsHydrogen bondDimerCatenaneKinetics010402 general chemistry01 natural sciencesNanocapsules0104 chemical sciencesSurfaces Coatings and FilmsSolventchemistry.chemical_compoundMolecular dynamicschemistryChemical physics0103 physical sciencesCalixareneMaterials ChemistryPhysical and Theoretical Chemistrydescription
We present force probe molecular dynamics simulations of dimers of interlocked calixarene nanocapsules and study the impact of structural details and solvent properties on the mechanical unfolding pathways. The system consists of two calixarene "cups" that form a catenane structure via interlocked aliphatic loops of tunable length. The dimer shows reversible rebinding, and the kinetics of the system can be understood in terms of a two-state model for shorter loops (≤14 CH2 units) and a three-state model for longer loops (≥15 CH2 units). The various conformational states of the dimer are stabilized by networks of hydrogen bonds, the mechanical susceptibility of which can be altered by changing the polarity and proticity of the solvent. The variation of the loop length and the solvent properties in combination with changes in the pulling protocol allows to tune the reversibility of the conformational transitions.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-10 | The Journal of Physical Chemistry B |