High-Resolution Cryo-Electron Microscopy Reveals the Unique Striated Hollow Structure of Photocatalytic Macrocyclic Polydiacetylene Nanotubes

Nila Nandha Kadamannil, Jung Moo Heo, Daewoong Jang, Ran Zalk, Sofiya Kolusheva, Raz Zarivach, Gabriel A. Frank, Jong Man Kim, Raz Jelinek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

High-resolution structures are crucial for understanding the functional properties of nanomaterials. We applied single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a method traditionally used for structure determination of biological macromolecules, to obtain high-resolution structures of synthetic non-biological filaments formed by photopolymerization of macrocyclic diacetylene (MDA) amphiphilic monomers. Tomographic analysis showed that the MDA monomers self-assemble into hollow nanotubes upon dispersion in water. Single-particle analysis revealed tubes consisting of six pairs of covalently bonded filaments held together by hydrophobic interactions, where each filament is composed of macrocyclic rings stacked in parallel "chair"conformations. The hollow MDA nanotube structures we found may account for the efficient scavenging of amphiphilic pollutants in water and subsequent photodegradation of the guest species.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17889-17896
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume144
Issue number39
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Oct 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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