Aqueous Self-Assembly with Cucurbit[n]urils: From Solution to Emulsion
type: CreativeWork
description: Making use of the non-covalent bond to make materials is of great interest in many fields of research. This PhD thesis describes a variety of highly interdisciplinary research undertaken at the interface between chemistry, materials science, physics and engineering. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter into the core concepts underlying this thesis. Supramolecular chemistry as a broad research field is briefly reviewed, followed by a focus on host-guest chemistry. The macrocyclic cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s) in particular are highlighted with a discussion on their recent applications since their discovery. Emulsions and their controlled generation with microfluidic techniques are then reviewed, as they have been used as templates for self-assembly processes throughout this thesis. A study into the synthesis of extended polymer networks composed entirely from small molecules held together by non-covalent interactions is described in Chapter 2. These highly dynamic and responsive supramolecular polymer networks have not yet been constructed with CB[n] host-guest chemistry. The ability of the larger CB[8] macrocycle to encapsulate multiple guest molecules in a stepwise fashion was taken advantage on in designing the synthesis of branching monomers. The monomers had two (A$_2$) or three (B$_3$) terminal guest moieties for CB[8], which upon combination formed branching supramolecular polymers that were multi-stimuli responsive. However, the polymers precipitated from solution at high concentrations rather than form a cross-linked network, due to competing intra-chain cyclisation and the limited water solubility of CB[8]. By confining these polymers to microfluidic droplets, directed assembly to the liquid-liquid interface could drive polymerisation to form an interfacial cross-linked gel that was both elastic and self-healing. Chapter 3 follows on from these results, describing attempts into constructing hyperbranched supramolecular polymers from an AB$_2$ guest molecule and…
abstract: Making use of the non-covalent bond to make materials is of great interest in many fields of research. This PhD thesis describes a variety of highly interdisciplinary research undertaken at the interface between chemistry, materials science, physics and engineering. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter into the core concepts underlying this thesis. Supramolecular chemistry as a broad research field is briefly reviewed, followed by a focus on host-guest chemistry. The macrocyclic cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s) in particular are highlighted with a discussion on their recent applications since their discovery. Emulsions and their controlled generation with microfluidic techniques are then reviewed, as they have been used as templates for self-assembly processes throughout this thesis. A study into the synthesis of extended polymer networks composed entirely from small molecules held together by non-covalent interactions is described in Chapter 2. These highly dynamic and responsive supramolecular polymer networks have not yet been constructed with CB[n] host-guest chemistry. The ability of the larger CB[8] macrocycle to encapsulate multiple guest molecules in a stepwise fashion was taken advantage on in designing the synthesis of branching monomers. The monomers had two (A$_2$) or three (B$_3$) terminal guest moieties for CB[8], which upon combination formed branching supramolecular polymers that were multi-stimuli responsive. However, the polymers precipitated from solution at high concentrations rather than form a cross-linked network, due to competing intra-chain cyclisation and the limited water solubility of CB[8]. By confining these polymers to microfluidic droplets, directed assembly to the liquid-liquid interface could drive polymerisation to form an interfacial cross-linked gel that was both elastic and self-healing. Chapter 3 follows on from these results, describing attempts into constructing hyperbranched supramolecular polymers from an AB$_2$ guest molecule and…
author: Groombridge, Alexander S.
language: en
keywords: Supramolecular chemistry, Self-assembly, Microfluidic, Cucurbit[n]uril, Quantum dot, Nanoparticle, Macrocycle
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/27bb80c3-239a-45ca-b1dd-f098f9ecc0ed/download
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
date published: 2018-04-07
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:11Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.18794