为了解决这个问题,由志贵Yagai教授为首的一批研究人员从千叶大学旨在比较和研究的影响这两个过程同时描述精确可控的角色“播种超分子聚合。”Their goal was to figure out how different seed shapes affect the formation of new supramolecular polymers; their findings were first published on May 10, 2023, and subsequently appeared in Volume 59, Issue 48 of化学通讯2023年6月18日。Yagai教授告诉我们是什么促使团队追求这一主题的研究:“因为难以控制聚合,超分子聚合物尚未达到实际应用的目的,即使已经过去三十年建立的一个概念。”然而,他确信,因为他们的多才多艺,在这一领域的进一步研究可能会导致这些自组织的聚合物在日常生活中广泛的应用。
在他们的实验中,研究人员使用两个超分子聚合物作为“种子”。While a closed-ended ring-shaped seed was used in a previous study, an open-ended, helicoidal seed was newly prepared. They found that when the open-ended, helicoidal seed was used, it acted as a template for the target molecules to attach and grow longer. On the other hand, when the closed-ended ring-shaped seed was used, it did not elongate itself, but rather served as a surface where new molecules could attach and form clusters, like a platform for new structures.