Two-Step Folding of Donor-Acceptor Foldamers

Ramkumar, SG and Ramakrishnan, S (2010) Two-Step Folding of Donor-Acceptor Foldamers. In: Macromolecules, 43 (5). pp. 2307-2312.

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Abstract

In a series of polymers containing alternately placed electron-rich dialkoxyilaphthalene (DAN) donors and electron-deficient pyromellitic diimide (PDI) acceptors linked by hexa(oxyethylene) (OE-6) segments, the ability to form a folded D-A stack was intentionally disrupted by random inclusion of varying amounts of a comonomer that is devoid of DAN donor units. NMR spectroscopic studies of folding in these copolymers, induced by NH4SCN that coordinates with the OE-6 segments and facilitates the charge-transfer (C-T) induced D-A stacking, clearly reveals the presence of PDI units that are isolated and those that are located at the ends of (D-A),, stacks. Similar conclusions regarding the presence of stacked and unstacked regions along the polymer chain were also inferred from UV-vis spectroscopic studies that probe the evolution of charge-transfer band. One fascinating aspect of these copolymers wits their ability to undergo it two-step folding: first, short (D-A),, stacks are formed by the interaction of the NH4+ ion with some specific regions of the polymer chain, and subsequently these Stacks are further stacked via a two-point interaction with it suitably designed external folding agent that carries a DAN unit and all ammonium group. In the second step, the interaction first occurs by the coordination of the ammonium group of the folding agent with the OE-6 segment, which in turn facilitates the C-T interaction of the DAN unit with the adjacent uncomplexed PDI units along the polymer chain, leading to an increase ill the slacking. Variations of several spectral features, during both UV-vis and NMR spectroscopic titrations, clearly reveal this novel two-step folding process.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Macromolecules
Publisher:	American Chemical Society.
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to American Chemical Society.
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Inorganic & Physical Chemistry
Date Deposited:	24 Mar 2010 11:13
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 05:57
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/26227

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