Light-Responsive Molecular Recognition and Adhesion of Vesicles

摘要

One of the main challenges in chemistry is the preparation of well-defined self-assembled supramolecular architectures with dynamic and adaptive properties that emulate biological systems. Numerous reports have demonstrated that sophisticated stimuli-responsive materials and surfaces can be assembled by the careful combination of orthogonal interactions.In this context, the molecular recognition and interaction of bilayer vesicles is a versatile model system for the recognition, adhesion, and fusion of biological cell membranes. The ultimate aim of this research is a supramolecular approach towards semisynthetic tissue engineering, that is, the development of adaptive materials on the basis of self-organizing compartments. In this Communication, the photoisomerization of a bifunctional noncovalent linker molecule is used as a trigger to induce as well as reverse the molecular recognition and adhesion of vesicles. To our knowledge, this supramolecular photoresponsive system is unprecedented.