Self-assembled nanofibers that respond to external stimuli have been created by scientists at Seoul National University, South Korea.
The nanofibers undergo a reversible chiral–nonchiral transition triggered by heating or changes in solvent polarity. The supramolecular chirality of the nanofibers is caused by a conformational change of hydrophobic aromatic rods and reduction in the hydrodynamic volume of the ethylene oxide chains. Read the article for free until 21st November:
Zhegang Huang, Seong-Kyun Kang and Myongsoo Lee, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1JM12683K
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