We are very happy to welcome within the CRC 1333 Colloquium Series:
Thursday, January 21, 2027, 14:00-15:00 pm
Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Topic: “Helical aromatic amide nanotubes and Aquaporin mimics via living
polycondensation“
The Kilbinger Group is interested in developing new synthetic methods for the preparation of precision polymers. The group is divided into two sub-groups, one working on aromatic amide polymers and the other on olefin metathesis chemistry. Aromatic amide polymers and oligomers are useful building blocks for supramolecular polymer chemistry. Their shape-persistence allows the exact placement of functional groups in space. We are currently using such oligomers and polymers for the construction of tube-like polymeric helices.
Abstract:
Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in the synthesis of helical aromatic amide
foldamers, which possess the remarkable ability to adopt stable, tube-like structures that mimic
natural water and ion channels. Traditionally, the synthesis of these compounds has relied on
stepwise organic techniques, such as solid-supported synthesis and iterative solution coupling
methods. However, the goal of creating long helical molecular tubes capable of spanning at a
minimum the hydrophobic core of a lipid bilayer, similar to membrane proteins, has remained
elusive for conventional synthetic strategies.
We recently introduced a novel polymerization method that easily achieves the necessary
polymerization degrees.[1] This approach utilizes triarylphosphonium activating agents to facilitate
the formation of aromatic carbonyl chlorides in the presence of primary and secondary anilines. By
combining this with a controlled monomer addition process, we demonstrated the “living”
polymerization of “step-growth monomers”, resulting in excellent molecular weight control and
narrow dispersities.
In this presentation, we will describe the new polymerization mechanism and provide examples of
helical aromatic amide polymers that fold into nanotube-like structures. Several examples that
mimic (and even surpass) Aquaporins in their water transport through vesicle membranes are also
reported.[2]
References
[1] a) Pal, S.; Nguyen, D.P.T.; Molliet, A.; Alizadeh, M.; Crochet, A.; Ortuso, R.D.; Petri-Fink, A.; Kilbinger,
A.F.M. A versatile living polymerization method for aromatic amides. Nat. Chem. 2021, 13, 705. b) Pal,
S.; Hong L.; Freire, R.V.M.; Farooq, S.; Salentinig, S.; Kilbinger, A.F.M. High-Molecular-Weight
Poly(aromatic amide) Foldamers via Living Polymerization. Macromolecules 2023, 56, 7984.
[2] a) Farooq, S.; Malla, J.A.; Nedyalkova, M.; Freire, R.V.M.; Mandal, I.; Crochet, A.; Salentinig, S.;
Lattuada, M.; McTernan, C.T.; Kilbinger, A.F.M. Rapid Water Permeation by Aramid Foldamer
Nanochannels With Hydrophobic Interiors Angew. Chem. 2025, 64, e202504170
b) J.A. Malla, S. Farooq, Y.M. Yip, D. E. Hares, S. Selvaraj, L. Rabut, S. Salentinig, E. Christodoulou, A.
F. M. Kilbinger and C. T. McTernan. Ultrafast Water Transport through Densely Fluorinated Foldamer
Channels Chem 2026 in press.
The CRC cordially invites all who are interested to the lecture.
