Functional Self-Assembled Membranes with Structural Rigidity and Flexibility

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H03036
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Functional solid state chemistry
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Harano Koji 東京大学, 総括プロジェクト機構, 特任准教授 (70451515)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: フラーレン / 超分子化学 / 分子集合体 / 二分子膜 / 電子顕微鏡 / 両親媒性分子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we used conical amphiphilic fullerenes (CFAs) to create a molecular membrane that is neither too soft nor too hard, which is much more stable than small self-assembled membranes such as lipids, yet flexible enough to allow the introduction of various substituents. As a result, we found that CFA molecules are amphiphilic but have no interfacial activity and have a unique self-assembling behavior mediated by the strong association force between fullerenes. Based on this property, we have synthesized a variety of CFA molecules and succeeded in developing a molecular film that is extremely impermeable to water, a two-dimensional nanosheet with self-supporting nature and proton conductivity, and a nucleic acid transport system for cells based on micellar assembly of CFA.

Free Research Field

超分子化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本成果の意義は，様々な材料応用がなされてきたフラーレンの新たな応用途として「柔軟性と構造堅牢性を併せ持つ新型分子膜」を提案できたという点に集約される．膜を形成する個々のユニットは低分子であり，有機合成的なアプローチでの分子膜構造の精緻なチューニングが可能である一方で，低分子集合体としては特異なまでの高い安定性を利用した化学合成および超分子合成による膜への機能付与が可能となる．極めて幅広い機能設計と極薄にもかかわらず取り扱い可能な丈夫さをもったこの分子膜は機能性材料開発の基盤となると期待される．