Improving the Folding of Supramolecular Copolymers by Controlling the Assembly Pathway Complexity.

ABSTRACT: A family of amphiphilic, heterograft copolymers containing hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and supramolecular units based on Jeffamine M-1000, dodecylamine, and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA) motifs, respectively, was prepared via a postfunctionalization approach. The folding of the copolymers in water into nanometer-sized particles was analyzed by a combination of dynamic and static light scattering, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and small-angle neutron scattering. The sample preparation protocol was crucial for obtaining reproducible and consistent results, showing that only full control over the structure and pathway complexity will afford the desired folded structure, a phenomenon similar to protein folding. The results revealed that relatively small changes in the polymer's graft com

SUBMITTER: Ter Huurne GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5688411 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature