Hydrogen-bonding mediated self-assembly of amphiphilic ABA triblock copolymers into well defined giant vesicles

Wang, H., et al. Polym. Chem., 2021, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D1PY01061A

Giant vesicles represent an extremely useful system to mimic biomembranes. By designing a hydrogen-bonding (H-bonding) amphiphilic ABA triblock copolymer and introducing 2,6-diaminopyridine (DAP) moieties as pendant groups into the middle hydrophobic block, we demonstrate a straightforward and effective self-assembly strategy to form giant vesicles (∼3 μm in diameter) via a combination of H-bonding and amphiphilic interactions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies further prove the hollow interior of these vesicular morphologies. This study provides a new opportunity for the design of supramolecular polymers, serving as polymeric vesicle scaffolds in materials design and may act as red-blood-cell-like containers in delivery and microreactor applications.