Lignin-assisted construction of sub-10 nm supramolecular self-assembly for photothermal immunotherapy and potentiating anti-PD-1 therapy against primary and distant breast tumors

Photothermal therapy(PTT)has brought hope for cancer treatments,with hyperthermia-induced immunogenic cell death(ICD),which is a critical part of therapeutically induced antitumor immune responses.Limited immune stimulation response in PTT is the primary reason for incomplete tumor ablation,therefore demonstrating urgent requirements for ICD amplifier.Herein,a sub-10 nm supramolecular nanoassembly was formed by coassembly of clinically approved aluminum adjuvant and commonly used indocyanine green(ICG)under the assistance of lignosulfonate(LS,a green and sustainable multifunctional lignin derivative)for localized photothermal-immunotherapy of breast cancer.The overall results revealed that LS-Al-ICG is capable of inducing amplified ICD,efficiently eliciting solid immune responses through dendritic cells(DCs)activation and cytotoxic T-cell responses initiation for tumor killing.Moreover,anti-PD-1 therapy blocked the PD-1 pathway and led to remarkable anti-tumor efficacy against laser-irradiated primary tumors and distant tumors by potentiating systemic tumor specific T cell immunity.The results of this study demonstrate a handy and extensible approach for engineering green natural lignin nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy,which shows promise for delivering other therapeutics in biomedical applications.

Supramolecular Self-assembly and Functionalization of Porphyrin-based Systems

Porphyrins are abundant in nature. They have been frequently employed as building blocks in the construction of nanoarchitectures and functional supramolecular systems. Recently, a series of novel porphyrin molecules including small molecules and polymers have been originally designed and synthesized with the aim of producing nanostructures with controllable-growth and materials with high-performance. Literature coverage is through 2004-2012. This review gives a full summary of related studies in our group.

Chiral liquid crystals based on pillararene and supramolecular self-assembly-induced chirality amplification

Macrocyclic liquid crystals combine the unique property of liquid crystals and excellent supramolecular assembly ability of macrocyclic compounds.It is a significant challenge to make rational use of the advantages of macrocyclic compounds to prepare new macrocyclic mesogens.Pillararenes,a type of macrocycles with rigid pillar-shaped frameworks and easy-tofunctionalize property,are excellent building blocks to fabricate liquid crystal materials.However,the site-selective modification property of pillararene has been rarely exploited to tailor liquid crystal behaviors.Previously reported pillararene-based liquid crystal systems are almost prepared by per-functionalized pillararenes.Herein,we report the regulation of chiral liquid crystal behaviors by different derivatization of pillararene.Lyotropic and thermotropic liquid crystals with different chirality were obtained by self-assembly of pillararene with different numbers of cholesterol groups.The bridge between thermotropic liquid crystal and lyotropic liquid crystal based on pillararene is built.In addition,the chirality of the mesogens can be amplified through supramolecular self-assembly driven by noncovalent interactions.Based on the different liquid crystal behaviors,the optical signal of the pillararene-based chiral liquid crystals was used to fabricate an information encryption system.This work provides a simple strategy to regulate liquid crystal behaviors via pillararene-based mesogens and realizes information encryption through the combination of different types of liquid crystals.

Selective formation of luminescent chiral cocrystal:Molecular self-assembly of 2,20-binaphthol and 2-(3-pyridyl)-1H-benzimidazole

Luminescent cocrystals have been received much attention in fluorescence imaging and sensor application. In this work, we report that the high-quality chiral luminescent cocrystal can be obtained through a molecular self-assembly process of 2,20-binaphthol and 2-（3-pyridyl）-1 H-benzimidazole. The assembly modes and stacking fashions of as-obtained cocrystal were determined by single crystal X-ray diffractometer. The structure and optical properties of the cocrystals were characterized by fluorescence emission, fluorescence decay, Raman and circular dichroism spectra. The results show that both the pristine co-assembled units（R-BINOL and S-BINOL） give rise to the R conformation within the final cocrystal, suggesting that the formation of cocrystal can be an effective way to achieve R/S-isomeric transformation of 2,20-binaphthol. It is also expected that the co-crystallization approach has much flexibility and potential applications for the design and selective formation of chiral luminescent materials.

Polymersomes:From Macromolecular Self-Assembly to Particle Assembly

What is the most favorite and original chemistry developed in your research group?Ring-opening polymerization-induced self-assembly of N-carboxyanhydrides(NCA-PISA),and fusion-induced particle assembly(FIPA).How do you get into this specific field?Could you please share some experiences with our readers?NCA-PISA was developed to solve the biodegradability problem of nanoparticles by traditional PISA,while FIPA was inspired by nature.

Supramolecular self-assembly of two-component systems comprising aromatic amides/Schiff base and tartaric acid

The gelating properties and thermotropic behaviors of stoichiometric mixtures of aromatic amides 1,2,and the aromatic Schiffbase 3 with tartaric acid(TA)were investigated.Among the three gelators,2-TA exhibited superior gelating ability.Mixture 2-TA exhibits a smectic B phase and an unidentified smectic mesophase during both heating and cooling runs.The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction revealed the existence of hydrogen bonding and rc-ninteractions in 2-TA systems,which are likely to be the dominant driving forces for the supramolecular selfassembly.Additionally,it was established that all of the studied gel self-assemblies and mesophases possess alamellar structure.The anion response ability of the tetrahydrofuran gel of 2-TA was evaluated and it was found that it was responsive to the stimuli of F,Cl,Br,I,AcO.

Bio-inspired supramolecular self-assembly towards soft nanomaterials

Supramolecular self-assembly has proven to be a reliable approach towards versatile nanomaterials based on multiple weak intermolecular forces. In this review, the development of bio-inspired supramolecular self-assembly into soft materials and their applications are summarized. Molecular systems used in bio-inspired ＂bottom- up self-assembly＂ involve small organic molecules, peptides or proteins, nucleic acids, and viruses. Self-assembled soft nanomaterials have been exploited in various applications such as inorganic nanomaterial synthesis, drug or gene delivery, tissue engineering, and so on.

Sensitive and Selective Fluorescent and Colorimetric Sensor for Ag^＋ Based on the Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Semi-Water

Specific recognition of ultratrace levels of ions in semi-water using super-quicker methods is still a challenge for environmental monitoring. Herein we report a fluorescent and colormetric sensor （ZH） based on supramolecular self-assembly, whose structure was destroyed by the addition of ultratrace of silver ions. The process promoted either naked eye visible color changes or fluorescence intensity quenched in conjunction with a wide pH range. Systematic studies revealed very high selectivity （0.07 μmol/L） for silver ions, and other common cations, e.g., Hg^2＋, Cu^2＋, Cd^2＋, Pb^2＋ had nearly no influence on the sensing behavior. This sensor also served as a multiple use of component in sensing materials by addition of I^- into the mixture of ZH and Ag^＋ （about 5 times）. What＇s more, ZH containing filter paper emerged distinct color and fluorescence changes upon exposure to silver （Ag^＋）, which could be used as a portable method to undertake field testing for Ag^＋.

Supramolecular Self-assembly Behaviors of Asymmetric Diblock Copolymer Blends with Hydrogen Bonding Interactions between Shorter Blocks Modelled by Yukawa Potentials

We employed the extended self-consistent field theory to investigate the supramolecular self-assembly behaviors of asymmetric diblock copolymer blends(AB/B’C)with hydrogen bonding interactions between shorter B and B’blocks.The hydrogen bonding interactions are described by Yukawa potentials,where the hydrogen bonding donors and acceptors were modelled as two blocks smeared with opposite screened charges.The hierarchical microstructures with parallelly packed lamellae-in-lamellae(Lam)and 4.8.8 Archimedean tilting pattern(4.8.8)were observed at lower and higher hydrogen bonding density(θ),respectively.The hierarchy of Lam and 4.8.8 were demonstrated by the one-and two-dimensional density profiles and the underlying order of the large-length-scale and small-length-scale microstructures were also clarified.It was found that the 4.8.8 is favorable to the stronger hydrogen bonding density or interactions.Asθincreases,the microphase transition from Lam to 4.8.8 occurs atθ=0.34,which is mainly attributed to the optimization of the electrostatic energy and conformational entropy with sacrificing the interfacial energy.This work can provide a new strategy to understand the supramolecular self-assembly as well as the mechanism behind the formation of complex hierarchical microstructures.

Solid-phase molecular self-assembly facilitated supramolecular films with alternative hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains for skin moisture detection

Human skin moisture is closely related to health and personal care issues.Many creams were developed to claim capable of skin moisturizing.However,people can hardly check their skin moisture status and the moisturizing effect of various creams conveniently,since currently all the skin moisturizing detection rely on large equipment requiring power supply.Herein,we report a power-supply independent supramolecular film that is able to directly report the moisturizing status of the skin.With the strategy of solid-phase molecular self-assembly(SPMSA),the aqueous precipitates formed by commercially available polyelectrolyte and oppositely charged surfactant would transform into a supramolecular film under a mild mechanical pressure,where the hydrophobic surfactant domains bridged by polyelectrolyte merge into hydrophobic mesophases to reduce interfacial energy.The hydrophobic mesophase will greatly retard water diffusion inside the film,so that a humidity gradient is generated as the film is exposed to a humid environment.The film will bend upward automatically in touch with moisture skin,and the bending degree is proportional to the skin moisture status.Therefore,the film can be used as portable smart power-free skin moisture sensor.

Supramolecular Self-assembly Formed from Cucurbit[8]uril and p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid

The binding behavior of cucurbit[8]uril(Q[8])and p-hydroxybenzoic acid(p-HBA)has been investigated using ^(1)H NMR titration experiments,UV-Vis absorption,isothermal titration calorimetry(ITC),and X-ray crystallography.Results revealed that the Q[8]can accommodate two p-HBA molecules to form a 1:2 host-guest inclusion complex in solution,namely(p-HBA)2@Q[8].From a poorly scattering crystal,we were able to identify two symmetry unique Q[8]rings,but with different p-HBA fillings.The structure can be represented as Q[8]+1.5 p-HBA,which gives Q[8]@(p-HBA)2∙Q[8]@p-HBA as the structural formula.This supramolecular structure was screened for its ability to capture iodine.The experimental results showed that the adsorption efficiency of the supramolecular organic framework material for iodine capture was 43.8%,with an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 223.3 mg/g.

Nanostructured Columns from Self-assemblyof Complementary Molecular Components

Nanostructured columns with a length about several tens of micrometer and a diameter of about 80 nm were obtained by molecular recognition directed self-assembly of a pair of comple- mentary molecular components, 4-amino-2 , 6-didodecylamino-1 , 3, 5-triazine(M) and 5- (4-dode- cyloxybenzylidene )-(1H, 3H)-2, 4, 6-pyrimidinetrione (B) in chloroform. In this system, with positive cooperativity, π-aromatic stacking and van der Waals interactions as well as hydrogen bonds cause the formation of the nanocolumns.

Supramolecular self-assembly for delivery of oligonucleotides and its phototriggered unpacking in living cells

Two photolabile amphiphilic supramolecules were designed and synthesized with mono-dendrite and tri-dendrite, which can reversibly self-assemble to spheroid and wedge-shaped nanoparticles. With multiple branches of terminal amine labeled PEG, these nanoparticles can associate with a negatively charged oligonucleotide and their usage for oligonucleotide delivery was evaluated. Oligonucleotide/nanoparticle complex containing tri-dendrite can efficiently deliver oligonucleotide into cells via endocytosis, while the complex containing mono-dendrite almost lost their ability to deliver oligonucleotide. Further light activation triggered the dissociation of tri-dendrite supramolecular assembly via 1,4- and 1,6-quinone-methide rearrangement, leading to the efficient unpacking of the oligonucleotide in cells.

Photo-regulation of 2D supramolecular self-assembly：On-surface photochemistry studied by STM

During the past few years,regulation and controlling of the two-dimension（2D） self-assembled supramolecular structure on surface have drawn increasing attention in nanoscience and technology.External stimuli have been widely used to regulate these 2D nanostructures.Among various external stimuli approaches,photo-regulation as one of the most outstanding means of regulation has been extensively studied because different wave bands can lead to molecular conformation variation and new bonds to gain new molecules.In this review,the photo-regulated self-assembled structure on solid surface as well as the photo-reactions of different molecules substituted with photo-sensitive groups are introduced to give us an insight into on-surface photochemistry,which plays an important role on the nano-devices fabrication.Notably,these photo-sensitive behaviors as well as the formed structures on surface were probed at sub-molecule level by unique scanning tunneling microscopy（STM） technique.

Supramolecular self-assembly and controllable drug release of thermosensitive hyperbranched multiarm copolymers

A novel temperature-responsive hyperbranched multiarm copolymer with a hydrophobic hyperbranched poly(3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane)(HBPO) core and thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAM) arms was synthesized via the atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) of NIPAM monomers from a hyperbranched HBPO macroinitiator.It was found that HBPO-star-PNIPAM self-assembled into multimolecular micelles(around 60 nm) in water at room temperature according to pyrene probe fluorescence spectrometry,1H NMR,TEM,and DLS measurements.The micelle solution showed a reversible thermosensitive phase transition at a lower critical solution temperature(LCST)(around 32°C) observed by variable temperature optical absorbance measurements.Variable temperature NMR and DLS analyses demonstrated that the LCST transition originated from the secondary aggregation of the micelles driven by increasing hydrophobic interaction due to the dehydration of PNIPAM shells upon heating.The drug loading and release properties of HBPO-star-PNIPAM micelles were also investigated using prednisone acetate as a model drug.The micelles showed a much improved drug encapsulation efficiency and temperature-dependent sustainable release behavior due to the special micellar structure.The micelles exhibited no apparent cytotoxicity against human HeLa cells.

Intermolecular Interactions in Self-Assembly Process of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate by Vertically Polarized Raman Spectra

Molecular self-assembly is extremely important in many fields, but the characterization of their corresponding intermolecular interactions is still lacking. The C-H stretching Raman band can reflect the hydrophobic interactions during the self-assembly process of sodium dodecyl sulfate （SDS） in aqueous solutions. However, the Raman spectra in this region are seriously overlapped by the OH stretching band of water. In this work, vertically polarized Raman spectra were used to improve the detection sensitivity of spectra of C-H region for the first time. The spectral results showed that the first critical micelle concentration and the second critical micelle concentration of SDS in water were 8.5 and 69 mmol/L, respectively, which were consistent with the results given by surface tension measurements. Because of the high sensitivity of vertically polarized Raman spectra, the critical micelle concentration of SDS in a relatively high concentration of salt solution could be obtained in our experiment. The two critical concentrations of SDS in 100 mmol/L NaCl solution were recorded to be 1.8 and 16.5 mmol/L, respectively. Through comparing the spectra and surface tension of SDS in water and in NaCl solution, the self-assembly process in bulk phase and at interface were discussed. The interactions among salt ions, SDS and water molecules were also analyzed. These results demonstrated the vertically polarized Raman spectra could be employed to study the self-assembly process of SDS in water.

Self-assembly of perovskite nanocrystals:From driving forces to applications

Self-assembly of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals(NCs)into superlattices can exhibit unique collective properties,which have significant application values in the display,detector,and solar cell field.This review discusses the driving forces behind the self-assembly process of perovskite NCs,and the commonly used self-assembly methods and different self-assembly structures are detailed.Subsequently,we summarize the collective optoelectronic properties and application areas of perovskite superlattice structures.Finally,we conclude with an outlook on the potential issues and future challenges in developing perovskite NCs.

Alcohol solvent effect on the self-assembly behaviors of lignin oligomers

The interactions between lignin oligomers and solvents determine the behaviors of lignin oligomers self-assembling into uniform lignin nanoparticles(LNPs).Herein,several alcohol solvents,which readily interact with the lignin oligomers,were adopted to study their effects during solvent shifting process for LNPs’production.The lignin oligomers with widely distributed molecular weight and abundant guaiacyl units were extracted from wood waste(mainly consists of pine wood),exerting outstanding self-assembly capability.Uniform and spherical LNPs were generated in H_(2)O-n-propanol cosolvent,whereas irregular LNPs were obtained in H_(2)O-methanol cosolvent.The unsatisfactory self-assembly performance of the lignin oligomers in H_(2)O-methanol cosolvent could be attributed to two aspects.On one hand,for the initial dissolution state,the distinguishing Hansen solubility parameter and polarity between methanol solvent and lignin oligomers resulted in the poor dispersion of the lignin oligomers.On the other hand,strong hydrogen bonds between methanol solvent and lignin oligomers during solvent shifting process,hindered the interactions among the lignin oligomers for self-assembly.

The effect of multiple pairs of meta-dicarboxyl groups on molecular self-assembly and the selective adsorption of coronene by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces

The prediction of two-dimensional molecular self-assembly structures has always been a problem to be solved.The molecules with meta-dicarboxyl groups can self-assemble into a specific hexagonal cavity,which has an important influence on the prediction of molecular self-assembly structures and the application of functional molecules with meta-dicarboxyl groups.Two kinds of molecules with four pairs of meta-dicarboxyl groups,1,3,6,8-tet「akis(3,5-isophthalic acid)pyrene(H_(8)TIAPy)and 4′,4′",4′"",4""-(ethene-1,1,2,2-tetrayl)tetrakis(([1,1′-biphenyl]-3,5-dicarboxylic acid))(H8ETTB)molecules were chosen to observe the self-assembly behavior at the heptanoic acid/highly oriented pyrolytic graphite(HA/HOPG)interface.H8TIAPy molecules self-assembled into well-ordered quadrilateral structures and could be regulated into kagome networks with hexagonal pores by coronene(COR)molecules.H8ETTB molecules self-assembled into lamellar structures and transformed into acid-COR-acid-COR co-assembled structures at low concentration of COR solution and acid-COR dimer-acid-COR dimer co-assembled structures at high concentration of COR solution.The reason that H8ETTB molecules could not be regulated into hexagonal porous architecture was attributed to the steric hindrance by the similar length and width of H8ETTB molecules.The H8ETTB templates had stronger adsorption for COR than that of hexaphenylbenzene(HPB),regardless of the order of molecular introduction.