Plasmonic Properties of Self-Assembled Gold Nanocrescents: Implications for Chemical Sensing.

A bottom-up approach, the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, is used for the preparation of composite thin films of gold nanoparticles and polymers: poly(styrene--2-vinylpyridine), poly-2-vinylpyridine, and polystyrene. The self-assembly of poly(styrene--2-vinylpyridine) at the air-water interface leads to the formation of surface micelles, which serve as a template for the organization of gold nanoparticles into ring assemblies. By using poly-2-vinylpyridine in conjunction with low surface pressure, the distance between nanostructures can be increased, allowing for optical characterization of single nanostructures.

Transport of macrocyclic compounds across phospholipid bilayers by umbrella-rotaxanes.

We report the synthesis and assembly of umbrella-rotaxanes with transmembrane transport properties. We describe their amphomorphism and validate their ability to penetrate and cross phospholipid bilayers. Furthermore we present the strategy to release the macrocyclic compound by enzymatic cleavage inside egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (EYPC) liposomes.