Self-Assembled Homopolymeric Spherulites from Small Molecules in Solution

Qiantao Song, Yi Li, Zhicheng Jin, Hai Liu, Matthew N. Creyer, Wonjun Yim, Yanping Huang, Xiaobing Hu, Tengyu He, Yajuan Li, Shana O. Kelley, Lingyan Shi, Jiajing Zhou*, Jesse V. Jokerst*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Polymeric spherulites are typically formed by melt crystallization: spherulitic growth in solution is rare and requires complex polymers and dilute solutions. Here, we report the mild and unique formation of luminescent spherulites at room temperature via the simple molecule benzene-1,4-dithiol (BDT). Specifically, BDT polymerized into oligomers (PBDT) via disulfide bonds and assembled into uniform supramolecular nanoparticles in aqueous buffer; these nanoparticles were then dissolved back into PBDT in a good solvent (i.e., dimethylformamide) and underwent chain elongation to form spherulites (rPBDT) in 10 min. The spherulite geometry was modulated by changing the PBDT concentration and reaction time. Due to the step-growth polymerization and reorganization of PBDT, these spherulites not only exhibited robust structure but also showed broad clusterization-triggered emission. The biocompatibility and efficient cellular uptake of the spherulites further underscore their value as traceable drug carriers. This system provides a new pathway for designing versatile superstructures with value for hierarchical assembly of small molecules into a complicated biological system.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)25664-25672
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume145
Issue number47
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 29 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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