Molecular self-assembly articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular switches are ubiquitous in the biochemistry regulatory network. Here, the authors construct synthetic molecular switches controlled by DNA-modifying enzymes such as DNA polymerase and nicking endonuclease to control and cascade assembly and disassembly.

    • Hong Kang
    • , Yuexuan Yang
    •  & Bryan Wei

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The self-assembly process of DNA nanostructures is still not well understood, especially for DNA origami. Here, the authors present a mesoscopic model that uses a switchable force field to capture the mechanical behavior of single- and double-stranded DNA motifs and transition between them, allowing access to the long assembly timescales of DNA origami up to several kilobases in size.

    • Marcello DeLuca
    • , Daniel Duke
    •  & Gaurav Arya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecules arranged in close proximity to a surface form molecular layers, exhibiting distinct properties. However, the creation of these layers is challenging. Here, the authors present a technique for generating molecular layers through crystallization induced by gas blowing onto a surface.

    • Jincheng Tong
    • , Nathan de Bruyn
    •  & Cinzia Casiraghi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The assembly of oligopeptide and polypeptide molecules can reconstruct various ordered advanced structures. Here the authors develop a “molecular velcro”-inspired amphiphilic supramolecular co-assembly strategy, which improves the mechanical strength and cartilaginous regeneration efficiency through conformation transition.

    • Chengkun Zhao
    • , Xing Li
    •  & Yong Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ultrasmall metallic clusters receive great attention for atom-efficient catalysts. Here a metallic cluster–organic framework is synthesized and characterized; authors demonstrate its stability and catalytic proficiency, paving the way for molecular-scale metal nanoparticle interlocking.

    • Xiyue Liu
    • , James N. McPherson
    •  & Kasper S. Pedersen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Artificial ion channels have potential in a range of applications, but achieving performance comparable to biological channels has been challenging. Here, the authors report an artificial, light-driven chloride pump, inspired by halorhodopsin, with a helical porphyrin channel array.

    • Chao Li
    • , Yi Zhai
    •  & Lei Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In vivo manipulation of the dynamics of nanoparticles’ is essential for disease-specific imaging and therapy, but tends to involve complex design processes. Here, the authors report a strategy for manipulating the assembly of nanoparticles in vivo through a self-catalysis-instructed dimerization of tyrosine, offering convenient fabrication, high reaction specificity and biocompatibility.

    • Mengmeng Xia
    • , Qiyue Wang
    •  & Daishun Ling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Drug nanoaggregates could be used to improve drug pharmacokinetics when developed for drug delivery, however, the structural features of molecules that drive nanoaggregate formation remain elusive. Here, the authors investigate nanoaggregate self-assembly mechanisms using small molecule fragments to identify the critical molecular forces that contribute to self-assembly, namely aromatic groups and hydrogen bond acceptors/donors.

    • Chen Chen
    • , You Wu
    •  & Daniel A. Heller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strategies to construct circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-active materials with color modulation and handedness of CPL are desirable for the synthesis of chiral photo-responsive devices. Here the authors develop a CPL system based on styrylpyrenes. Benefiting from CH-π interactions between chromophores, the styrylpyrene aggregates show color-dependent CPL property and photo-responsive behavior.

    • Wei Yuan
    • , Letian Chen
    •  & Yanli Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (2D MOFs) are ideal platforms to realize exotic theoretical lattice models. Here, the authors experimentally realize second-order topological corner states in the 2D MOF Ni3(HITP)2, which features a star-lattice configuration.

    • Tianyi Hu
    • , Weiliang Zhong
    •  & Z. F. Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The use of macrocycles to develop charge-transfer complexes in the solid state was recently demonstrated. Here, the authors develop an on-off type vapochromic system toward positional bromoalkane isomers by the reassembly and disassembly of charge-transfer complexes between a pillar[5]arene and electron-deficient aromatic guests in the solid state.

    • Jia-Rui Wu
    • , Gengxin Wu
    •  & Ying-Wei Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Controlling the self-assembly on noncovalent components is possible by suppressing entropy loss with templates but this is challenging for covalent components. Here the authors employed directing groups to endow purely covalent molecular building blocks with different conformations which favor the formation of specific self-assembled products.

    • Qiong Chen
    • , Zhaoyong Li
    •  & Hao Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    ’Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is currently one of the most widely used techniques for the fabrication of multicomponent architectures with nanometer scale control but achieving control over the 3D structure, and thus the ability to predict and understand the device performance, is challenging. Here, the authors use neutron scattering to determine the average conformation of individual deuterated polyelectrolyte chains inside LbL assembled films.

    • Philipp Gutfreund
    • , Christophe Higy
    •  & Gero Decher

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Accurate prediction of peptidic hydrogels could prove useful for diverse biomedical applications. Here, the authors develop a “human-in-the-loop” approach that integrates coarse-grained molecular dynamics, machine learning, and experimentation to design natural peptide hydrogels.

    • Tengyan Xu
    • , Jiaqi Wang
    •  & Huaimin Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The inclusion of an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) block in multiblock copolymer amphiphiles can enable temperature triggered nanoscale morphological transitions, but there are limited studies probing the actual UCST transition. Here, the authors couple variable temperature liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy and variable temperature liquid resonant soft X-ray scattering to study UCST polymeric nanostructures.

    • Joanna Korpanty
    • , Cheng Wang
    •  & Nathan C. Gianneschi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The axial helical structure of supramolecular and covalent polymers provides communication mechanisms among monomer repeating units. Here, the authors present multi-helical materials comprising five axial motifs that combine information from both metallosupramolecular and covalent helical polymers

    • Francisco Rey- Tarrío
    • , Emilio Quiñoá
    •  & Félix Freire

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of ultramicroporous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) remains a daunting challenge. Here, the authors report a pore partition strategy, which allows for the segmentation of mesopores of COFs into multiple uniform ultramicroporous domains.

    • Xiaoyi Xu
    • , Xinyu Wu
    •  & Ning Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Organic molecules and materials are generally insensitive or weakly sensitive to magnetic fields due to their small diamagnetic force. Here, the authors show a strategy to amplify the magnetic responsiveness of self-assembled peptide nanostructures by synergistically combining the concepts of perfect α-helix and rod-coil supramolecular building blocks

    • You-jin Jung
    • , Hyoseok Kim
    •  & Yong-beom Lim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular electronics represents an avenue to enrich conventional electronics, but its reproducibility and scalability are still challenging. Here, the authors report the realization of multifunctional hybrid molecular graphene field effect transistors enabling operando spectroscopy and the implementation of optoelectronic logic gates.

    • Jorge Trasobares
    • , Juan Carlos Martín-Romano
    •  & Daniel Granados

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Crowding effects have long been established as powerful guiding forces in natural assembly processes. Here the authors report a bioinspired approach translating this phenomenon to artificial supramolecular polymers.

    • Nils Bäumer
    • , Eduardo Castellanos
    •  & Gustavo Fernández

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthetic framework materials are appealing candidates for the fabrication of separation membranes but realizing precise control of aperture distribution and separation threshold remains challenging. Here, the authors show a two-dimensional processible supramolecular framework which can be used in the fabrication of separation membranes by integrating directional organic host-guest motifs and inorganic functional polyanionic clusters.

    • Guohua Zhang
    • , Xinyue Li
    •  & Lixin Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Self-healing materials hold great promise for applications in wearable electronics, artificial muscles and soft robots but selfhealing at subzero temperatures remains a great challenge. Here, the authors present a robust subzero healable glassy polymer by incorporating polyphenol nano-assemblies with a large number of end groups into polymerizable deep eutectic solvent elastomers.

    • Nan Wang
    • , Xin Yang
    •  & Xinxing Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polydopamine is a biomimetic self-adherent polymer, which can be easily deposited on a wide variety of materials but the polymerization mechanism and the key intermediate species formed during the deposition process are still controversial. Here, the authors report a systematic investigation of polydopamine formation on halloysite nanotubes.

    • Hamoon Hemmatpour
    • , Oreste De Luca
    •  & Petra Rudolf

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Self-assembly of block-copolymers yields nanoscale structures in a facile way, but the diversity of structures is limited. Here, the authors demonstrate how block copolymer layering can be used to access new non-equilibrium morphologies.

    • Sebastian T. Russell
    • , Suwon Bae
    •  & Kevin G. Yager

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Engineering peptide assembly that controls integrin ligand presentation on the molecular level possesses by far the highest ligand density, expanding the perspective of ligand-density-dependent modulation.

    • Xunwu Hu
    • , Sona Rani Roy
    •  & Ye Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biological membranes exhibit the ability to self-repair and dynamically change their shape while remaining impermeable but these defining features are difficult to reconcile with mechanical robustness. Here, the authors report on the spontaneous formation of a carbon nanoskin at the oil-water interface that uniquely combines self-healing attributes with high stiffness.

    • Enzo Bomal
    • , Paul Grandgeorge
    •  & Holger Frauenrath

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chiral supramolecular assembly is an important strategy for the development of excellent circularly polarized luminescent (CPL)-active materials, but often they suffer from low quantum yield and luminescence dissymmetry factor. Herein, the authors we report a chiral coassembly process of achiral pyrene-based dyes leading to chiral excimers emitting with a high dissymmetry factor.

    • Yuxia Zhang
    • , Hang Li
    •  & Yixiang Cheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biomimetic materials are of interest but can often suffer from limitations caused by the non-native linkages used. Here, the authors report on the creation of amino acid constructed polyureas which can self-assemble into vesicles and nanotubes with aggregation induced fluorescence and the potential for drug delivery applications.

    • Yeqiang Zhou
    • , Fan Fan
    •  & Mingming Ding

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of highly luminescent materials such as large Stokes shift fast emitters is desirable for their potential application in photonics. Here the authors engineer hetero-ligand metal-organic frameworks nanoparticles to achieve high emission yield, large Stokes shift and realize a prototypal fast scintillator.

    • J. Perego
    • , Charl X. Bezuidenhout
    •  & A. Monguzzi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Boosting the luminescence of atomically precise metal clusters is a main goal in view of applications. Here, the authors describe a strategy to increase the photoluminescence quantum yield of water-soluble gold clusters at the single-cluster level via formation of bis-Schiff base linkages, providing detailed insight into the mechanism.

    • Haohua Deng
    • , Kaiyuan Huang
    •  & Wei Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dissipative self-assembly can serve as a controllable platform to exhibit temporal processes for various non-stimulus responsive properties but construction of light-fueled dissipative self-assembly structures with transformable morphology to modulate non-photoresponsive properties remains a challenge. Here, the authors report a light-activated photodeformable dissipative self-assembly system in aqueous solution as metastable fluorescent platform.

    • Xu-Man Chen
    • , Wei-Jie Feng
    •  & Quan Li

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