Working Paper
Authors
- Xiujuan Shi
Wuhan Union Hospital & Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Jun Zhang Anhui Jianzhu University ,
- Junkai Liu Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Xueqian Zhao Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Haoran Wang Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Peifa Wei Hong Kong University of Science and Technology & Anhui University ,
- Xin-Long Ni Guizhou University ,
- Herman H.-Y. Sung Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Ian D. Williams Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Wai Kit Ng Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Kam Sing Wong Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Jacky W. Y. Lam Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ,
- Lin Wang Wuhan Union Hospital ,
- Ben Zhong Tang Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Abstract
Nature possesses a powerful ability to assemble multiple complex structures to fabricate hierarchical biological structures in a living-assembled way. However, it is still a huge challenge for artificial systems to fabricate and characterize hierarchical living assemblies with well-defined and controllable but complex structures. In this work, we proposed a new concept for the fabrication of multiblock fluorescent microcolumns, which relies on the cooperation between the controllable host–guest complexation based on cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) and the living assembly of nanotubular supramolecular polymers composed of CB[8] and NaBr in aqueous solution. By using the complexation of CB[8] with different guest numbers of luminogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIEgens) characteristics, and the difference in affinity between CB[8] and different types of AIEgens, the concentration-controlled and self-sorting-controlled sequential living assembly are realized, respectively. Correspondingly, multiblock fluorescent microcolumns with different fluorescence emission are fabricated, and the molecular structure of each fluorescent block is analyzed by single crystal X-ray diffraction measurement. In addition, the living assembly of multiblock fluorescent microcolumns is visualized, understood, and regulated with the aid of AIEgens. The method developed here is expected to be extended to more guest molecules of CB[8] and also provides a referential crystallization method for CB[8]-based complexes.
Content

Supplementary material

Supporting Information
Supporting Information contains supporting figures, supporting tables, materials and methods, and so on.