Poly(norbornene)-based random copolymers possessing either azide, aldehyde, or ketone functionalities on each repeating unit were synthesized using ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The orthogonal functionalization of the resulting copolymers using 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions and hydrazone formations was investigated. While the azide- and aldehyde-containing copolymers were insoluble in organic solvents, the azide- and ketone-functionalized copolymers were fully soluble in common solvents such as CH2Cl2, THF, and DMF and can be quantitatively functionalized with a library of small organic and biological molecules in a stepwise fashion. The orthogonal functionalization of the ketone/azide copolymers was characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopies and gel-permeation chromatography. A one-pot dual functionalization strategy is also presented that allows for the quantitative dual functionalization of copolymers. This one-pot strategy introduced herein for the preparation of multifunctional macromolecules provides a modular platform for potential applications ranging from electronic materials to polymer-mediated drug delivery.

Block copolymers are key building blocks for a variety of applications ranging from electronic devices to drug delivery. The material properties of block copolymers can be tuned and potentially improved by introducing noncovalent interactions in place of covalent linkages between polymeric blocks resulting in the formation of supramolecular block copolymers. Such materials combine the microphase separation behavior inherent to block copolymers with the responsiveness of supramolecular materials thereby affording dynamic and reversible materials. This tutorial review covers recent advances in main-chain supramolecular block copolymers and describes the design principles, synthetic approaches, advantages, and potential applications.

Colloids with high-symmetry patches are functionalized with metal-coordination-based recognition units and assembled into larger chain architectures, demonstrating for the first time the use of metal coordination as a specific force in colloidal self-assembly. The cross-linked poly(styrene)-based patchy particles are fabricated by encapsulation of colloidal clusters following a two-stage swelling and polymerization methodology. The particle patches, containing carboxylic acid groups, are site-specifically functionalized either with a triblock copolymer (TBC), bearing primary alcohols, alkyl chains, and palladated pincer receptors, synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization, or with a small molecule bearing a pyridine headgroup. Functionalizing with a TBC provides design flexibility for independently setting the range of the interaction and the recognition motif.

A heterotelechelic poly(norbornene imide) containing two terminal and orthogonal hydrogen-bonding receptors, N,N'-bis[6-(alkanoylamino)pyridin-2-yl] isophthalamide (often referred to as the Hamilton receptor or Wedge) and 2,7-diamido-1,8-naphthyridine (DAN), at the opposite ends of the polymer was synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) through the employment of a Hamilton receptor-functionalized ruthenium initiator and a DAN-based chain-terminator. In parallel, two monotelechelic polymers containing either cyanuric acid (CA)- or ureidoguanosine (UG)-end groups that are complementary to the hydrogen-bonding receptors along the poly(norbornene imide) were synthesized either also via ROMP by terminating the polymerization of norbornene octyl ester with a CA-based chain-terminator or by the reaction of poly(ethylene oxide) with UG. Complete incorporations of the hydrogen-bonding receptors at the chain-ends of all polymers were confirmed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The telechelic polymers can be self-assembled into ABC triblock copolymers following either a stepwise or a one-pot, orthogonal self-assembly protocol. The self-assembly process was monitored by (1)H NMR spectroscopy, revealing full orthogonality of the two recognition pairs, Hamilton receptor-CA and DAN-UG. The resulting supramolecular ABC triblock copolymers were further characterized by a series of methods including 2-D NOESY, isothermal titration calorimetry, and viscometry, proving that the two orthogonal hydrogen-bonding interactions are strong enough to hold the three polymer chains together. We suggest that a self-assembly methodology solely based on the fully orthogonal hydrogen-bonding recognition motifs will allow for an easy and rapid synthesis of architecturally controlled supramolecular polymeric assemblies with a high degree of complexity.

Herein we report the synthesis of water-soluble polyglycerol-dendronized perylenediimides (PGD-PDIs) with a single reactive group that undergoes high-yielding click reactions. Single-molecule studies and target-specific biolabeling are reported, including the highly specific labeling of proteins on the surface of living bacterial and mammalian cells.

Synthesis and physical properties of novel multibranched two-photon materials are reported. The compound with three units of 4-(p-diphenylaminostyryl)-2,5-dicyanostyryl moieties attached to the central triphenylamine core exhibits a very large two-photon absorption cross-section.

Just add it! Ruthenium initiators functionalized with hydrogen-bonding sites were utilized in ring-opening metathesis polymerization to prepare heterotelechelic polymers with hydrogen-bonding and metal-coordination units in a single step. Supramolecular ABC triblock copolymers were then self-assembled in one pot by simply adding complementary telechelic polymers to a solution of the heterotelechelic polymer (see picture).

Single-molecule fluorescence techniques have emerged as a powerful approach to understand complex biological systems. However, a challenge researchers still face is the limited photostability of nearly all organic fluorophores, including the cyanine and Alexa dyes. We report a new, monovalent probe that emits in the far-red region of the visible spectrum with properties desirable for single-molecule optical imaging. This probe is based on a ring-fused boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) core that is conjugated to a polyglycerol dendrimer (PGD). The dendrimer makes the hydrophobic fluorophore water-soluble. This probe exhibits excellent brightness, with an emission maximum of 705 nm. We observed strikingly long and stable emission from individual PGD-BODIPY probes even in the absence of anti-fading agents such as Trolox, a combined oxidizing-reducing agent often used in single-molecule studies for improving the photostability of common imaging probes. These interesting properties greatly simplify use of the fluorophore.