Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have attracted considerable interest due to their unique physicochemical properties and various applications. For the first time it is shown that GQDs surface-functionalized with hydrocarbon chains (i.e., amphiphilic GQDs) self-assemble into unilamellar spherical vesicles in aqueous solution. The amphiphilic GQD vesicles exhibit multicolor luminescence that can be r...

Here we report the preparation of poly(oligonucleotide) brush polymers and amphiphilic brush copolymers from nucleic acid monomers via graft-through polymerization. We describe the polymerization of PNA-norbornyl monomers to yield poly-PNA (poly(peptide nucleic acid)) via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) with the initiator, (IMesH2)(C5H5N)2(Cl)2RuCHPh.1 In addition, we present the ...

Propargyl-polyglycosides were obtained in a one-pot/two-step reaction, providing an access to amphiphilic molecules.

Malignant melanoma is aggressive cancer that metastasizes along with the heterogeneity at molecular and cellular levels, thereby reducing overall therapeutic efficacy. In present research, concept of photodynamic therapy (PDT) was investigated on silver-based nanohybrids for treatment A375 cells. Hence, two different nanoparticles (NPs) namely Ag-PEG NPs core/shell [email protected]2 were fabri...

Organic compounds are synthesized in the interstellar medium and can be delivered to planetary surfaces such as the early Earth, where they mix with endogenous species. Some of these compounds are amphiphilic, having polar and nonpolar groups on the same molecule. Amphiphilic compounds spontaneously self-assemble into more complex structures such as bimolecular layers, which in turn form closed...

Amphiphilic telechelics incorporating polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (POSS) end-caps were synthesized and studied as a novel building block for the construction of inorganic-organic hybrid materials. Their micron-scale morphologies were investigated using hot-stage polarizing optical microscopy (POM), revealing a dramatic influence of POSS macromer incorporation. The molecular-scale crystalline...

Highly selective nucleocytoplasmic molecular transport is critical to eukaryotic cells, which is illustrated by size-filtering diffusion and karyopherin-mediated passage mechanisms. However, a considerable number of large proteins without nuclear localization signals are localized to the nucleus. In this paper, we provide evidence for the spontaneous migration of large proteins in a karyopherin...

Small-molecule amphiphilic species such as many drug molecules frequently exhibit low-to-negligible aqueous solubility, and generally have no identified transport proteins assisting their distribution, yet are able to rapidly penetrate significant distances into patient tissue and even cross the blood-brain barrier. Previous work has identified a mechanism of translocation driven by acid-cataly...

Aminoglycosides are antibiotic drugs that act through binding to rRNA. In the search for antimicrobial amphiphilic aminoglycosides targeting bacterial membranes, we report here on the discovery of three dialkyl derivatives of the small aminoglycoside neamine active against susceptible and resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. One of these derivatives (R = 2-naphthylpropyl), which ...

The self-assembled microstructures of amphiphilic block copolymers depend on the selectivity of solvents for each block. By changing the selectivity of solvents, defined in terms of the repulsive interactions between the solvent and the hydrophilic/hydrophobic particles, an extensive simulation study on the spontaneous formation of complex micelles from amphiphilic triblock copolymers in a dilu...