Abstract
The objective of this perspective on supramolecular polymers is to highlight how their dynamic nature based on noncovalent bonding among monomers can have a profound impact on their functions. We focus here on peptide amphiphile supramolecular polymers developed in our laboratory and use recent results on their dynamic behavior to reflect on the exciting functions that might emerge in these systems. We are greatly motivated by recent results that demonstrate unprecedented bioactivity in supramolecular polymers to address the enormous scientific challenge of finding strategies to reverse paralysis caused by traumatic injuries or disease. We suggest that future opportunities exist for novel functions in supramolecular polymers by tuning dynamic behavior through the chemical design of monomers, and also by gaining an understanding of the precise spatiotemporal mechanisms linked to supramolecular motion in these emerging polymers.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 870-880 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Polymer Science |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 15 2023 |
Funding
The authors are grateful for funding of the experimental work described here from the Stupp Laboratory by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, under award DE-FG02-00ER45810; the Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Sciences (CBES), an Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under award DE-SC0000989, National Science Foundation (NSF DMR-1508731), and the Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine (CRN) at Northwestern's Simpson Querrey Institute. The authors acknowledge Mark A. Seniw for his work on molecular graphics and illustrations used in this perspective. The authors are grateful for funding of the experimental work described here from the Stupp Laboratory by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, under award DE‐FG02‐00ER45810; the Center for Bio‐Inspired Energy Sciences (CBES), an Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under award DE‐SC0000989, National Science Foundation (NSF DMR‐1508731), and the Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine (CRN) at Northwestern's Simpson Querrey Institute. The authors acknowledge Mark A. Seniw for his work on molecular graphics and illustrations used in this perspective.
Keywords
- biomaterials
- dynamics
- photoactuation
- spinal cord injury
- spiropyran
- supramolecular motion
- supramolecular polymers
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry