Rod-coil block molecules: Their aqueous self-assembly and biomaterials applications

Past decades have witnessed rapidly growing interest in nanometer-sized structures, which have great potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as electronics, sensors, coatings, and biomaterials. Supramolecular chemistry in particular has been actively applied to the development of such materials. Nanostructures can readily be accessed using bottom-up supramolecular approaches as they are composed of small molecules (supramolecular building blocks) requiring fewer steps to synthesize. Among various types of supramolecular building blocks, rod-coil molecules, due to their anisotropic molecular shape, are well-suited for tailoring nanostructural properties such as size and shape. This Feature Article highlights the self-assembly of rod-coil molecules in aqueous solution and introduces an emerging approach to the application of rod-coil nanostructures in biomaterials applications.