Synthesis of calixarene–polyglycerol conjugates and their self-assembly toward nano and microtubes

Calixarenes as macrocyclic oligomers with 4–20 phenol units present two dened rims and a hydrophobic core. Since they show extensive host properties for small guest molecules, calixarenes are of high interest in supramolecular science. Due to their many unique properties, calixarenes are interesting candidates for the preparation of supramolecular polymers and nanostructures. Calixarenes are able to associate different blocks of a supramolecular polymer by host–guest chemistry or be a part of the structure of those polymers by covalent links. In the rst case, the polymer could be disassociated to its primary components reversibly and therefore it is considered as a stimuli-responsive material. In the second case, calixarenes are a part of the structure of the synthesized system and therefore it is possible to benet from the properties of polymers and calixarenes as building blocks of one hybrid system. A polymeric structure with calixarene blocks is expected to show host–guest and all other physicochemical properties of these macrocyclic oligomers. The combination of the properties of polymers and calixarenes in one object leads to promising materials and powerful tools for future applications. p-Sulfonatocalixarenes are one of the most well-known families of water-soluble calixarene derivatives with the ability to bind to organic cations selectively, driven by the synergistic effect of additional binding sites conjugated to the rim of the