A β-cyclodextrin derivative bearing seven cationic arms and its singly charged analogue, i.e., per-6-deoxy-6-(1-methylimidazol-3-ium-3-yl)-β-cyclodextrin(3) and mono-6-deoxy-6-(1-methylimidazol-3-ium-3-yl)-β-cyclodextrin(4) were synthesized and fully characterized. Their induced aggregation behaviours towards two anionic surfactant, that is, sodium dodecyl sulfonate(SDS) and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate(Aerosol OT, AOT), were investigated by UV–vis, NMR, Zeta-potential, dynamic light scattering(DLS), and transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that host 3 can induce the molecular aggregation of anionic surfactant at concentration far lower than its original CAC, leading to the larger diameter, the narrower size distribution and the higher thermal stability of the induced aggregate towards the anionic surfactant possessing more hydrophobic tails.
A supramolecular nanoparticle was fabricated based on the aggregation of amphiphilic psulfonatocalixarene induced by selenocystamine dihydrochloride(Se-Cys). The application of Se-Cys remarkably decreases the critical aggregation concentration of sulfonatocalixarene, and the resultant spherical nanoparticle was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic laser scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. Owing to the property of Se-Cys, the nanoparticles showed the redoxresponsive disassembly behaviors with the addition of H2O2 and GSH.
