Supramolecular Assembly of DNA-Phenanthrene Conjugates into Vesicles with Light-Harvesting Properties.

Vesicle-shaped supramolecular polymers are formed by self-assembly of a DNA duplex containing phenanthrene overhangs at both ends. In the presence of spermine, the phenanthrene overhangs act as sticky ends linking the DNA duplexes together. In aqueous solution, the assembly leads to vesicles with a diameter in the range of 50-200 nm. Fluorescence measurements show that the assembled phenanthrene units act as light-harvesting complexes and transfer absorbed energy to an acceptor, such as pyrene or Cy3, which can either be directly added to the polymer or attached via a complementary DNA strand. The presence of DNA in the nanostructures allows the construction of light-harvesting vesicles that are amenable to derivatization with different functional groups.