Abstract
Supermolecules such as rotaxanes and catenanes have recently attracted considerable attention due to their potential widespread applications in areas such as molecular machines and switches. Moreover, the development of polyrotaxanes and polycatenanes, comprising multiple cyclic compounds, has allowed the fabrication of structures with novel properties. Although rotaxanes and polyrotaxanes have been extensively prepared from cyclodextrins as building blocks, very few studies have considered the syntheses of cyclodextrin-based polycatenanes. Here we report the one-pot syntheses and isolation of cyclodextrin-based radial polycatenanes with large numbers of cyclic components (>10) attached to a poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(propylene glycol)–poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer core, with characterization performed using Raman spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and other techniques. Overall, the results presented herein may be used to develop advanced supramolecular structures and materials, such as molecular machines, molecular actuators, molecular switches, biomaterials, and drug carriers.
Highlights
Supermolecules such as rotaxanes and catenanes have recently attracted considerable attention due to their potential widespread applications in areas such as molecular machines and switches
High-dilution conditions favor cyclization, they concomitantly promote the dissociation of the polypseudorotaxane, which is a typical issue associated with the above synthesis method
No formation of α-CyD polycatenane with HS–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)–SH was probably due to unsuccessful cyclization
Summary
Supermolecules such as rotaxanes and catenanes have recently attracted considerable attention due to their potential widespread applications in areas such as molecular machines and switches. The results presented may be used to develop advanced supramolecular structures and materials, such as molecular machines, molecular actuators, molecular switches, biomaterials, and drug carriers Interlocked molecules such as rotaxanes[1,2,3,4,5] and catenanes[6,7,8] have attracted considerable attention due to their unique properties and have been widely utilized for the assembly of molecular machines, switches, and motors[9,10,11,12]. Harada et al reported the possible formation of a CyD-based polycatenane during the polymerization of 9-anthracene-capped α-CyD/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polyrotaxane, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the only example of a CyD-based polycatenane[40] These researchers did not separate the polycatenanes from the poly (polyrotaxane) because their similar properties precluded polycatenane isolation from the crude product. Polycatenanes have the potential to function as safe, inexpensive, and green materials
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