Photo-Induced Polymerization and Reconfigurable Assembly of Multifunctional Ferrocene-Tyrosine.

The photo-induced reconfigurable assembly of nanostructures via the simultaneous noncovalent and covalent polymerization of a functional ferrocene-tyrosine (Fc-Y) molecule is reported. The Fc-Y monomers can directly self-assemble into nanospheres with a smooth surface driven by noncovalent interactions. By covalent photo-crosslinking of the Fc-Y monomers, the nanospheres transform spontaneously into hollow vesicles composed of hierarchically ordered lamellar structures. It is worth noting that the formed nanostructures exhibit both reducing property for in situ mineralization of gold nanoparticles with tunable biocatalytic behavior, and the redox activity for superior energy storage capacity. The measured energy storage capacity is 31 mAh g for the nanospheres, which is the highest value reported so far for peptide assemblages as supercapacitor. The results offer insights into the dynamic self-assembly of highly ordered multifunctional materials with promising applications in catalysis, sensing, energy and biomedical fields.