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The dynamic behavior of supramolecular polymers in aqueous environments remains poorly understood due to the assembly pathway complexity. Here, the authors present a combinatorial titration methodology to probe in situ a binary assembly mechanism between spheroidal micelles and β-sheet polymers of peptide amphiphiles, which collectively govern supramolecular dynamics.

The strength of electrostatic interactions in semiconductors strongly affects their performance in optoelectronic devices. Now, doping two-dimensional naphthalene-based lead halide perovskites with tetrachloro-1,2-benzoquinone has been shown to introduce donor–acceptor interactions within the organic network, without disrupting the inorganic sublattice. This in turn altered the energy of the materials’ electron–hole electrostatic Coulomb interactions.

Dynamic behaviour in supramolecular systems is an important aspect of their functionality. Here, the authors use stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy to unveil structural diversity in self-assembled peptide amphiphile nanofibres, with potential relevance to biomedical applications.

Self-assembled ribbons of perylene amphiphiles have been shown to crystallize in the presence of a nickel-based hydrogen production catalyst, allowing efficient electronic coupling between the perylene chromophores. This hydrogel material photocatalyses the production of H₂, and can be shaped and placed on surfaces for incorporation into devices.

A bio-inspired supramolecular material combines tiny amino acid sequences present in proteins with equally small segments of the plastic poly(vinylidene fluoride), yielding high-performance sustainable ferroelectric nanostructures with potential for future resorbable bioelectronics, ultra-low power devices, and large-scale information storage.

Peptide-based molecules that self-assemble into lamellar plaques with fibrous texture on heating, subsequently break on cooling to form long-range aligned bundles of nanofibres. This thermal route to monodomain gels is compatible for living cells and allows the formation of noodle-like viscoelastic strings of any length.

Synthetic promoters can be superior to native ones but the design is challenging without knowledge of gene regulation. Here the authors develop a pipeline that allows for screening a synthetic promoter library to identify high performance promoters in potentially any given cell state of interest.

The energy landscapes of supramolecular systems are linked to their functions, as demonstrated by the switching of the balance of competing interactions in self-assembling amphiphiles.

Left- and right-handed snub cubes show photocontrollable elasticity and hardness, in addition to the ability to encapsulate different small molecules in distinct compartments simultaneously, with potential applications in the development of advanced biomimetic materials.

Self-assembly is a promising route for creating new functional biomaterials. Here, the authors find that subtle modifications to intermolecular interactions within supramolecular nanofibres can cause the disruption of lipid membranes and impart cytotoxicity or allow cells to survive.

Skeletal muscles are impressive as they can achieve reversible, macroscopic, anisotropic motion in soft materials. Here the authors show a bottom-up design of macroscopic hydrogel tubes containing supramolecular nanofibers that can undergo anisotropic actuation by thermal stimuli.

Electronically active materials made by the self-assembly of alternating layers of zinc oxide and conjugated molecules directly onto an electrode combine the advantages of their inorganic and organic components. They are shown to be stable photoconductors with promising device characteristics.

Peptide amphiphile supramolecular polymers with a crosslinked spiropyran network respond to light by expelling water, enabling the fabrication of soft actuators or light-driven crawlers.

The extracellular matrix can affect cell behaviour both physically and biochemically. Here, the authors developed a substrate that is based on peptides and nucleic acids hybrids that can dynamically present signals upon demand which regulate cell adhesion and migration, thereby controlling cell organisation.

Organic ferroelectrics with switchable electrical polarization would be an attractive prospect for applications if their Curie temperature—below which these materials display ferroelectric behaviour—could be raised to room temperature or above; this goal has now been achieved with a family of organic materials characterized by a supramolecular structural motif.

Variations in the internal conformational dynamics of supramolecular nanostructures may be important for their function, yet such dynamics have been difficult to probe experimentally. Now, the molecular motion through a nanofibre cross-section at subnanometre resolution has been quantified using site-directed spin labelling and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The acetylene contaminant present in ethylene feeds used to produce polymers is typically removed by thermal hydrogenation. Now, it has been shown that the conversion of acetylene to ethylene at room temperature can be achieved in a visible-light-driven process using an earth-abundant metal (cobalt) catalyst and a water proton source.

Ferroelectric materials hold much promise for the development of devices such as nonvolatile memories, sensors and nonlinear optic materials. This Review describes the molecular features required to devise organic molecular ferroelectrics, and presents the supramolecular chemistry strategies available for controlling molecular organization and dynamics across different length scales.

Highly bioactive supramolecular nanostructures displaying sulfated glycopeptides on their surfaces were designed in order to mimic the polysaccharides that bind and activate a plethora of proteins in mammalian biology during development and tissue regeneration.

Oscillating chemical reactions are ubiquitous in living systems. Here, the authors propose a mathematical model to study how chemically-driven density gradients produced by enzymatic reactions can trigger hydrodynamic instabilities coupling with chemical oscillations.