RT Journal Article
T1 Mechanosensitive Gold Colloidal Membranes Mediated by Supramolecular Interfacial Self-Assembly
A1 Coelho, João Paulo
A1 Mayoral, María José
A1 Camacho, Luis
A1 Martín-Romero, María T.
A1 Tardajos Rodríguez, Gloria
A1 López-Montero, Iván
A1 Sanz García, Eduardo
A1 Ávila Brande, David
A1 Giner-Casares, Juan José
A1 Fernández, Gustavo
A1 Guerrero Martínez, Andrés
AB The ability to respond toward mechanical stimuli is a fundamental property of biological organisms at both the macroscopic and cellular levels, yet it has been considerably less observed in artificial supramolecular and colloidal homologues. An archetypal example in this regard is cellular mechanosensation, a process by which mechanical forces applied on the cell membrane are converted into biochemical or electrical signals through nanometer-scale changes in molecular conformations. In this article, we report an artificial gold nanoparticle (Au NP)−discrete π-conjugated molecule hybrid system that mimics the mechanical behavior of biological membranes and is able to self-assemble into colloidal gold nanoclusters or membranes in a controlled and reversible fashion by changing the concentration or the mechanical force (pressure) applied. This has been achieved by rational design of a small π-conjugated thiolated molecule that controls, to a great extent, the hierarchy levels involved in Au NP clustering by enabling reversible, cooperative non-covalent (π−π, solvophobic, and hydrogen bonding) interactions. In addition, the Au NP membranes have the ability to entrap and release aromatic guest molecules reversibly (Kb = 5.0 × 105 M−1 ) for several cycles when subjected to compression−expansion experiments, in close analogy to the behavior of cellular mechanosensitive channels. Not only does our hybrid system represent the first example of a reversible colloidal membrane, but it also can be controlled by a dynamic mechanical stimulus using a new supramolecular surface-pressure-controlled strategy. This approach holds great potential for the development of multiple colloidal assemblies within different research fields.
PB American Chemical Society (ACS)
SN 0002-7863
YR 2017
FD 2017
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/19023
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/19023
LA eng
NO The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (ERC grant agreement n° 338133)
NO Unión Europea. FP7
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 1 may 2024