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Abstract: Dimesogenic compounds 1a–c, 2a–i, and 3, that are composed of a hydrogen bonding-induced straight arylamide spacer and two appended cholesterol groups, have been designed and synthesized. The backbones of the rigid spacers of 1a–c, 2a–i, and 3 contain one, three, and five benzene units, which bear two, six, and ten alkoxyl (methoxyl, n-octoxyl, or n-dodecoxyl) groups, respectively. The thermal and optical properties of the compounds are investigated by using the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis. It is revealed that 1a–c exhibit one or two liquid crystalline (LC) phases, 2a–i exhibit no, one or two LC phases, while 3 exhibits one LC phase in a wide temperature range. Generally, the more and longer alkoxyl chains facilitate the formation of the LC phases at low temperature. Notably, compound 2g, which bears two methoxyl and four dodecoxyl groups, displays a blue-red color change during both the heating and cooling cycle. The result illustrates that dimesogens with large rigid spacers can exhibit different LC phases when long aliphatic chains are appended to balance the strong stacking of the rigid backbones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hydrogen bonded arylamide foldamers have been introduced in switchable pseudo[2]rotaxanes and [2]rotaxanes, which also include a cyclobisparaquat(p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+) ring and a ‘dumbbell’ containing tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP, for rotaxanes). The foldamer size changes through folding and unfolding serve as a steric handle to modulate the mechanical movement of the CBPQT4+ ring along the dumbbell of the pseudo[2]rotaxanes and [2]rotaxanes. By varying the number of the repeating units in the foldamer, the kinetics of the solvent-dependent slippage/deslippage of pseudo[2]rotaxanes and the switching of the ring between TTF and DNP of the [2]rotoxanes can be tuned remarkably, with the time scope ranging from several minutes to several days, in twelve solvents of varying polarity, which have been confirmed by the 1H NMR, UV–vis spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammogram experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we report the synthesis and self-assembling behavior of an F⋯H–N hydrogen bonding-induced arylamide-based dipodal foldamer. SEM, AFM, TEM, and XRD studies reveal that this preorganized oligomer stacks to form vesicles in methanol–chloroform (10–70%) binary solvents due to the strong stacking interaction of the folded segments and the supramolecular polymeric feature of the dipodal molecule in the stacked state. In contrast, a simple folded molecule can give rise to vesicles only when the chloroform content is 45–55%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports the gelation and liquid crystal properties of a class of new complexes between zinc and copper bisporphyrin and C60 derivatives. The bisporphyrins are induced by intramolecular hydrogen bonding to adopt a preorganized ‘U’-shaped conformation and therefore efficiently complex the C60 derivatives. As a result, the capacity of their mixtures to gelate alkanes is increased notably. The bisporphyrins themselves and their complexes with the C60 derivatives form the smectic liquid crystal phase. However, the glassy transition temperature of the complexes decreases considerably. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes an investigation of the structural and side-chain factors for the formation of vesicles and gels by hydrogen bonding-mediated aromatic hydrazide foldamers. Six foldamers and one straight analog that bear discrete side chains have been synthesized. SEM and AFM studies reveal that the molecules with the appended 2-(2-(dialkyl-amino)-2-oxoethylamino)-2-oxoethoxyl chains form vesicles, hydrogels or organogels, depending on the solvents. Both the inner amide units and the terminal N,N-dialkylamide units in the chains are revealed to play essential roles in controlling the self-assembly. The former facilitates it by forming the intermolecular hydrogen bonding, while the latter modulates it by providing solubility and balancing the hydrophobicity of the whole molecules in solvents of varying polarity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Four porphyrin-bridge-C60 dyads have been synthesized by covalently linking the chromophores at the opposite ends of a hydrogen bonded arylamide-derived foldamer bridge. For comparison, four C60-free porphyrin derivatives of the same frameworks have also been prepared. The fully hydrogen bonded bridges enable the appended porphyrin and C60 moieties to contact in a face-to-face manner. 1H NMR, UV–vis and fluorescent investigations in chloroform indicate that such a structural matching remarkably facilitates the intramolecular energy and electron transfer and charge separation between the two chromophores and also retards the recombination of the charge-separated state. Removing one hydrogen bond considerably reduces the energy and electron transfer. Further removing another one leads to no important interaction between the chromophores to occur. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports the design and synthesis of a new series of hydrogen bonding-mediated foldamer-derived tweezer receptors that are used for efficient complexation of zinc porphyrin guest. One end of the rigidified aromatic amide backbone is incorporated with one fullerene unit, while another end is connected to one pyridine or imidazole unit. The 1H NMR, UV–vis, and fluorescent investigations in chloroform revealed that, due to the intramolecular hydrogen bonding-driven preorganized folded conformation, the fullerene and pyridine units of the receptors are located with suitable spatial separation and consequently able to co-complex zinc porphyrin with remarkably increased stability. In contrast, the imidazole-incorporated receptor displays a weakened binding affinity possibly due to structural mismatching and large steric hindrance. The association constants of the complexes of the new receptors with zinc porphyrin have been determined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two new ditopic porphyrin receptors Zn1 , incorporating a diaza-15-crown-5 unit, and Zn2 , incorporating a diaza-18-crown-6 unit, have been prepared and characterized. UV–vis study in polar methanol has revealed that Zn1 is able to selectively recognize sodium cyanide over potassium cyanide (the ratio of their binding constant is ca. 56), whereas Zn2 exhibits a higher binding affinity for potassium cyanide over sodium cyanide (the ratio of their binding constant is ca. 12). In contrast, both receptors display substantially weaker binding affinity for sodium thiocyanate and potassium thiocyanate presumably due to a monotopic binding fashion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The self-assembly of a novel series of intramolecular hydrogen bonding-driven foldamers have been described. Five linear aromatic amide oligomers 1–5 , which bear two to six repeating benzoyl amide subunits, respectively, have been prepared by continuous amide-coupling reactions. The existence of three-centered hydrogen bonds in the oligomers and consequently, the folding conformation of the oligomers in the solid state and solution have been proved by the X-ray analysis (for 2 ) and the 1H NMR and IR experiments. Molecular modeling reveals a planar and rigid conformation for the oligomers and a cavity of 0.86nm in diameter for 6-mer 5 . Fluorescent and 1H NMR experiments have demonstrated that the new aromatic oligo-amide foldamers can bind primary and secondary alkyl ammonium ions in chloroform and the associated binding constants have been determined. It is revealed that 5-mer 4 exhibits the largest binding ability. A face-to-face binding mode has been proposed for the complexes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]