Scientific Achievement
- Researchers in the Soft Matter Electron Microscopy program revealed, with atomic-scale imaging, that intermolecular polar-π interaction dominates the superlattice motifs and increases lattice stability
Significance and Impact
- Established a design principle for programming binary superlattices via aromatic side chain polarization and sequence control in sequence-defined polymers
Research Details
- Introduced perfluorophenyl and phenyl groups into a series of linear polypeptoids with differently sequenced side chains, leading to the formation of regular lattices and superlattices through π-π and polar-π interactions
- Cryo-TEM imaging and atomistic simulations revealed the role of polar-π in regulating lattice geometries
Publication Details
Y. J. Lee, G. L. Butterfoss, X. Luo, D. Prendergast, N. P. Balsara, R. N. Zuckermann, B. A. Abel, X. Jiang, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2026).
Work was performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and in part at the Molecular Foundry and the Advanced Light Source.
