Foldamers for the Design of Organic Nanotubes and Smart Transporters

A promising bio-inspired approach to realize functional nanometer-sized objects is based on hierarchically organized chain-like molecules – foldamers – as building blocks of defined shape and size. The synergy of covalent and non-covalent synthesis enables the preparation of functional foldamers, which can be investigated with regard to their folding behavior and structure formation. Utilizing the reversible helix-coil transition, we have recently been able to prepare organic nanotubes with controlled dimensions and addressable surface functionalities as well as photoswitchable transporters for spatially and temporally controlled release.