la5b03730_si_001.pdf (22.49 MB)
Hierarchical Self-Assembly of a Renewable Nanosized Pentacyclic Dihydroxy-triterpenoid Betulin Yielding Flower-Like Architectures
journal contribution
posted on 2015-12-29, 00:00 authored by Braja Gopal Bag, Shib Shankar DashBetulin, a naturally occurring 6-6-6-6-5
pentacyclic dihydroxy-triterpenoid,
is extractable from the bark of white birch (Betula papyrifera). We report the first self-assembly properties of betulin in different
liquids. The molecule spontaneously self-assembled in different media,
yielding flower-like architectures of nano- to micrometers diameters
via the formation of fibrillar networks. The self-assemblies have
been characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy,
transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, FTIR,
and X-ray diffraction studies. The porous microstructure of the self-assemblies
has been utilized for the entrapment of fluorophore such as rhodamine-B
and the anticancer drug doxorubicin. Moreover, the removal of toxic
dyes such as rhodamine 6G, crystal violet, methylene blue, and cresol
red has also been demonstrated.