Pyridinium CH...anion and pi-stacking interactions in modular tripodal anion binding hosts: ATP binding and solid-state chiral induction.

The preparation of two new tripodal "pinwheel" type anion hosts based on a triethylbenzene core and bipyridinium or ethylnicotinium arms is reported. The new materials bind anions via CH..

AFM study of cationically charged polymer brushes: switching between soft and hard matter.

AFM studies on cationic polymer brushes in water (a good solvent) show that brushes in an extended conformation can be easily deformed or indented by an AFM tip. Experiments on polymer brushes in a more collapsed conformation, using methanol-water as a 'poor solvent' environment, show similar properties. Conversely, this 'soft' behaviour is dramatically different in the presence of electrolytes containing anions that are strongly coordinated to cationic groups of the polymer brush.