Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne , Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
J Am Chem Soc. 2018 Feb 7;140(5):1945-1951. doi: 10.1021/jacs.7b13095. Epub 2018 Jan 29.
The triple-helix stereocomplex of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a unique example of a multistranded synthetic helix that has significant utility and promise in materials science and nanotechnology. To gain a fundamental understanding of the underlying assembly process, discrete stereoregular oligomer libraries were prepared by combining stereospecific polymerization techniques with automated flash chromatography purification. Stereocomplex assembly of these discrete building blocks enabled the identification of (1) the minimum degree of polymerization required for the stereocomplex formation and (2) the dependence of the helix crystallization mode on the length of assembling precursors. More significantly, our experiments resolved binding selectivity between helical strands with similar molecular weights. This presents new opportunities for the development of next-generation polymeric materials based on a triple-helix motif.
聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯（PMMA）的三螺旋立体复合物是一种独特的多股合成螺旋的例子，在材料科学和纳米技术中有重要的应用和前景。为了深入了解其基本的组装过程，通过结合立体定向聚合技术和自动化快速层析纯化，制备了离散的立体规整性寡聚物库。这些离散的构筑单元的立体复合物组装使得可以确定：（1）形成立体复合物所需的最小聚合度，以及（2）组装前体的长度对螺旋结晶模式的依赖性。更重要的是，我们的实验解决了具有相似分子量的螺旋链之间的结合选择性问题。这为基于三螺旋结构的下一代聚合物材料的发展提供了新的机会。
