A supramolecular assembly is an assembly of molecules held together by noncovalent bonds. Nanoscale supramolecular assemblies can be readily accessed since the components are much smaller and can be synthesized in much fewer steps. This article needs to be wikified. ...
Supramolecular assemblies are being investigated as new materials. For instance, Samuel Stupp and coworkers at Northwestern University showed that a supramolecular assembly of peptide amphiphiles in the form of nanofibers could be used to promote the growth of neurons.[1] A great advantage to this supramolecular approach is that the nanofibers will degrade back into the individual peptide molecules that can be broken down by the body.
References
↑Selective Differentiation of Neural Progenitor Cells by High-Epitope Density Nanofibers Gabriel A. Silva, Catherine Czeisler, Krista L. Niece, Elia Beniash, Daniel A. Harrington, John A. Kessler, Samuel I. Stupp Science Volume 303, Issue 5662, Pages 1352-1355 2004 Abstract
The domain of supramolecular chemistry came of age when Donald J. Cram, Jean-Marie Lehn, and Charles J. Pedersen were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1987 in recognition of their work on "host-guest" assemblies (in which a host molecule recognises and selectively binds a certain guest).
A supramolecularassembly is a multi-component system of atoms, ions, and/or molecules which are held together by non-covalent interactions such as hydrogenbonds, van der Waals forces, pi-pi interactions, and/or electrostatic effects.
Supramolecular chemistry is intimately related to nanotechnology, and many promising nanotech devices are based on the principles of supramolecular chemistry.
Feeds |
Contact