Bile acid derivatives as novel co-adsorbents for enhanced performance of blue dye-sensitized solar cells.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based blue dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) exhibit promise for building-integrated photovoltaics, but their efficiency is compromised by dye aggregation-induced charge recombination. Novel bile acid derivative co-adsorbents featuring bulky hydrophobic substituents at the 3-β position were synthesized to address this challenge. These molecules, designed to modulate intermolecular electronic interactions, effectively altered the TiO surface coverage dynamics, as evidenced by UV-Vis spectroscopy and dye-loading kinetics.

Bioderived, chiral and stable 1-dimensional light-responsive nanostructures: Interconversion between tubules and twisted ribbons.

Hypothesis: Self-assembling molecular structures responding to light stimulus are appealing for applications as sensing and drug delivery. Supramolecular nanotubes have a relevant potential in nanotechnology as they can be used to encapsulate different loads like drugs, biological macromolecules, and nanomaterials. In addition, they are suitable elements for novel supracolloidal materials.

On the self-assembly of a tryptophan labeled deoxycholic acid.

Self-assembly of peptides and bile acids has been widely investigated because of their biological role and their potential as a tool for the preparation of nanostructured biomaterials. We herein report both the synthesis and the self-association behavior of a compound that combines the aggregation properties of bile acid- and amino acid-based molecules. The derivative has been prepared by introducing a L-tryptophan residue into the C-3 position of the deoxycholic acid skeleton and resulted in an amphoteric fluorescent labeled bile acid that shows a pH-dependent self-assembly.

catena-Poly[[[di-aqua-bis-[1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)diazene]copper(II)]-μ-1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)diazene] bis-(perchlorate)].

In the title compound, {[Cu(C10H8N4)3(H2O)2](ClO4)2} n , the coordination environment of the cationic Cu(II) atom is distorted octa-hedral, formed by pairs of symmetry-equivalent 1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)diazene ligands, bridging 1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)diazene ligands and two non-equivalent water mol-ecules. The 1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)diazene mol-ecules form polymeric chains parallel to [-101] via azo bonds which are situated about inversion centres. Since the Cu(II) atom is situated on a twofold rotation axis, the monomeric unit has point symmetry 2.

Drug-loaded nanoparticles and supramolecular nanotubes formed from a volatile microemulsion with bile salt derivatives.

The main objective of this study was to form nanoparticles of a model hydrophobic drug, celecoxib, from a volatile microemulsion stabilized by a bile salt derivative. Nanoparticles were obtained by conversion of the microemulsion nanodroplets with the dissolved drug into solid nanometric particles. The use of bile salt derivatives as the surfactants for the formation of a microemulsion enabled significantly higher loading of the drug in both the microemulsion and nanoparticles, compared with the native bile salt.

Early stages of formation of branched host-guest supramolecular polymers.

A structural characterization of host-guest supramolecular copolymers, formed by an adamantane dimer and two beta-cyclodextrin trimers in aqueous solution, has been carried out by combining small angle X-ray scattering and light scattering experiments. A shape-reconstruction method was applied to the SAXS data to obtain relatively high-resolution conformation information, and a correlation with the experimental dynamic light scattering results was performed, by estimating the hydrodynamic radii of the reconstructed shape through a shell model method. When applied on the solutions of the trimers, the analysis provides a globular reconstructed shape with a hydrodynamic radius in agreement with the experimental one.

New lamellar structure formed by an adamantyl derivative of cholic acid.

The self-aggregation of the sodium salt of a new adamantyl amide of the 3beta-amino derivative of cholic acid (Na-AdC) in aqueous solution has been investigated by surface tension, dynamic light scattering, fluorescence, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. These last two techniques suggest that a lamellar phase, consisting of charged bilayers of Na-AdC separated by solvent and periodically stacked, is formed in aqueous solution. The structure of the bilayer is inferred from the resolution of the crystal of the compound in its acid form.

Thermodynamics of formation of host-guest supramolecular polymers.

The interactions between three beta-cyclodextrin hosts (having 1-3 binding sites) and two adamantyl guests (having 1-2 binding sites) have been studied by ITC, ROESY, static and dynamic light scattering (SLS and DLS), and AFM and TEM techniques. The enthalpy and free energy values (determined from ITC experiments) evidence that the single interaction between one binding site of the guest and one binding site of the host is independent of the number of binding sites of the interacting species. The average values are deltaH degrees = -26.

Crystal structure of the supramolecular linear polymer formed by the self-assembly of mono-6-deoxy-6-adamantylamide-beta-cyclodextrin.

Mono-6-deoxy-6-adamantylamide-beta-cyclodextrin-dimethylformamide-15H2O, C53H85NO35.C3H7NO.15H2O, crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1).