pH-Triggered Transition from Micellar Aggregation to a Host-Guest Complex Accompanied by a Color Change

Langmuir. 2022 Feb 15;38(6):2145-2152. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c03299. Epub 2022 Feb 2.

Abstract

A pH-triggered transition from micellar aggregation to a host-guest complex was achieved based on the supramolecular interactions between calixpyridinium and pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (PQQ-2Na) accompanied by a color change. Our design has the following three advantages: (1) a regular spherical micellar assembly is fabricated by the supramolecular interactions between calixpyridinium and PQQ-2Na at pH 6 in an aqueous solution, (2) increasing the pH can lead to a transition from micellar aggregation to a host-guest complex due to the deprotonation of calixpyridinium, and at the same time (3) increasing the pH can lead to a color change owing to the deprotonation of calixpyridinium and the complexation of deprotonated calixpyridinium with PQQ-2Na. Benefitting from the low toxicity of calixpyridinium and PQQ-2Na, this pH-induced transition from micellar aggregation to a host-guest complex was further studied as a controllable-release model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Micelles*
  • PQQ Cofactor* / chemistry
  • Water

Substances

  • Micelles
  • Water
  • PQQ Cofactor