Effect of precursor chemical composition on the formation and stability of G-quadruplex core supramolecular star polymers

Abstract

A homologous series of guanosine end-functional poly(butadiene)s has been prepared. The potassium cation-templated assembly of these guanosine functionalised precursors then furnished supramolecular star polymers with a G-quadruplex core. Comparison with the previously reported poly(ethylene glycol)-based supramolecular star polymers revealed that in designing supramolecular star polymers, chemically non-polar assembly precursors – that do not interfere with the supramolecular interactions of the core – are essential for the preparation of high stability and high molecular weight supramolecular branched architectures. In addition, in comparison to star polymers composed of chemically polar polymer chains, the non-polar supramolecular ensembles show chain-length independent properties.