Unveiling adenine H-bonded hexads: Hierarchical self-assembly for helical columnar functional materials

This manuscript reports on an unusual self-assembly of small adenine-based molecules leading to complex, functional systems. Molecules feature an adenine nucleobase substituted at the N9 position with a triarylamine unit through a flexible spacer. Hydrogen bonding interactions prompt the formation o...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez-Bueno, Alejandro, Valencia-Vásconez, Génesis M., Termine, Roberto, Golemme, Attilio, Ortega, Josu, Folcia, César L., Granadino-Roldán, José M., Navarro, Amparo, Giménez Soro, Raquel, Sierra, Teresa
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/403954
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/403954
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Adenine
Organic semiconductor
Hydrogen bonding
Chirality
Rosette
Liquid crystal
Supramolecular chemistry
Descripción
Sumario:This manuscript reports on an unusual self-assembly of small adenine-based molecules leading to complex, functional systems. Molecules feature an adenine nucleobase substituted at the N9 position with a triarylamine unit through a flexible spacer. Hydrogen bonding interactions prompt the formation of unprecedented adenine hexameric rosettes, which organize in dimers and then into helical columnar assemblies exhibiting hexagonal columnar liquid crystal phases, even with nonchiral molecules. Theoretical calculations including geometry optimization and prediction of vibrational modes have provided essential insight into the configuration of hydrogen bonds between adenine units to form stable hexads, and experimental and simulated X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns are consistent with the unique helical self-assembly. Furthermore, molecular design including chirality in the flexible spacer and triarylamine electron-donor units steers these nanostructured materials toward functionalities related to the control of supramolecular chirality and semiconductivity. This is confirmed by thin film circular dichroism measurements for chirality and the space charge-limited current method for hole transport.