ja8b11882_si_002.pdf (5.93 MB)
Oligosaccharides Self-Assemble and Show Intrinsic Optical Properties
Version 2 2019-03-15, 13:41
Version 1 2019-03-12, 20:23
journal contribution
posted on 2019-03-04, 00:00 authored by Yang Yu, Soeun Gim, Dongyoon Kim, Zohar A. Arnon, Ehud Gazit, Peter H. Seeberger, Martina DelbiancoSelf-assembling
peptides and oligonucleotides have given rise to
synthetic materials with several applications in nanotechnology. Aggregation
of synthetic oligosaccharides into well-defined architectures has
not been reported even though natural polysaccharides, such as cellulose
and chitin, are key structural components of biomaterials. Here, we
report that six synthetic oligosaccharides, ranging from dimers to
hexamers, self-assemble into nanostructures of varying morphologies
and emit within the visible spectrum in an excitation-dependent manner.
Well-defined differences in chain length, monomer modification, and
aggregation methods yield glycomaterials with distinct shapes and
properties. The excitation-dependent fluorescence in a broad range
within the visible spectrum illustrates their potential for use in
optical devices and imaging applications. We anticipate that our systematic
approach of studying well-defined synthetic oligosaccharides will
form the foundation of our understanding of carbohydrate interactions
in nature.