Nature Communications
| Autor: | Yadong He, Louis A. Madsen, Rui Qiao, Robert B. Moore, Bernd Ensing, Jianwei Gao, Theo J. Dingemans, Ying Wang, Zhou Yu, Curt J. Zanelotti, Gregory B. Fahs, Carla Slebodnick, Stephanie ten Brinck, Maruti Hegde |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Molecular Simulations (HIMS, FNWI), Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Macromolecules Innovation Institute |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Materials science Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Polymers Science Molecular Conformation FOS: Physical sciences General Physics and Astronomy Ionic bonding Phthalimides 02 engineering and technology Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter Molecular Dynamics Simulation General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Article 03 medical and health sciences Molecular dynamics Rigidity (electromagnetism) X-Ray Diffraction lcsh:Science Persistence length Multidisciplinary Charge density General Chemistry Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Polyelectrolytes Polyelectrolyte 3. Good health 030104 developmental biology Chemical physics Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) lcsh:Q 0210 nano-technology Macromolecule |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications Nature Communications, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2019) Nature Communications, 10(1) Nature Communications, 10:801. Nature Publishing Group |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | The ubiquitous biomacromolecule DNA has an axial rigidity persistence length of ~50 nm, driven by its elegant double helical structure. While double and multiple helix structures appear widely in nature, only rarely are these found in synthetic non-chiral macromolecules. Here we report a double helical conformation in the densely charged aromatic polyamide poly(2,2′-disulfonyl-4,4′-benzidine terephthalamide) or PBDT. This double helix macromolecule represents one of the most rigid simple molecular structures known, exhibiting an extremely high axial persistence length (~1 micrometer). We present X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that reveal and confirm the double helical conformation. The discovery of this extreme rigidity in combination with high charge density gives insight into the self-assembly of molecular ionic composites with high mechanical modulus (~ 1 GPa) yet with liquid-like ion motions inside, and provides fodder for formation of other 1D-reinforced composites. Double helix structures appear widely in nature, but only rarely in synthetic non-chiral macromolecules. Here the authors describe a double helix in a densely charged aromatic polyamide, which exhibits an axial rigidity persistence length of ~ 1 μm, much higher than that of DNA (~ 50 nm). |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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