Supramolecular Nanotube Hosts for Encapsulation of 10-nm-Scale Objects

摘要

Supramolecular nanotube hosts with precisely controlled inner or outer diameters have been synthesized by self-assembly of cardanol-based glycolipids, glucopyranosylamide lipids, or glucose-based unsymmetrical bolaamphiphiles. Time-resolved fluorescent measurement using 8-anilinonaphtahalene-1-sulfonate (ANS) as a probe revealed that the water confined in a cardanol-based glycolipid nanotube has relatively lower solvent polarity than bulk water, which corresponds to that of 1-propanol. Extensively developed hydrogen bond networks also characterize the confined water in comparison to the case in bulk water. Encapsulation ability of the glucopyranosylamide lipid nanotube, which depends on capillary action, has been examined by filling the lyophilized lipid nanotubes with aqueous dispersions of gold or silver nanocrystals, ferritin, or magnetic crystals. We have also succeeded in filling the unsymmetrical bolaamphiphile nanotube, which possesses positively charged inner surfaces, with negatively charged polymer beads or ferritin without depending on capillary action.