Function arises from the hierarchical transfer of structural information from programmed primary structures to self-organized assemblies. However, the mechanism of this transfer in biological, biological-like, and synthetic systems remains poorly understood. Our laboratory investigates this mechanism via a rational library approach, which uses accelerated synthesis of constitutional isomeric libraries of self-assembling building blocks and structural and retrostructural analysis of their periodic and quasiperiodic assemblies. This approach has been applied to diverse systems including: Janus glycodendrimers and their assembly into biological membrane mimics; an all Ni-catalyzed approach to sterically hindered self-assembling dendrons; sterically congested polyamide dendrimers reaching the limits of organic synthesis; dendronized perylene bisimides and their chirality-invariant assembly; and crown-like dendrimers exhibiting a <i>supramolecular orientational memory</i> effect. In all cases, defining the sequence of the primary structure has proven critical to obtaining desirable material functions. In this presentation, a selection of these examples will be discussed.

Complex supramolecular systems and functions from programmed sequence-defined primary structures

256th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.