Porous helical supramolecular columns self-organized via the fluorophobic effect of a semifluorinated tapered dendron.

The self-organizable dendron (4-3,4-3,5)12G2X with X = -CO2CH3 and -CH2OH, an already classic dendron, facilitating the formation of a large diversity of columnar hexagonal phases including crystalline, with intracolumnar order, and liquid crystalline, and providing access for the first time to mimics of the transmembrane protein water channel Aquaporin was semifluorinated at eight of the sp³ hybridized carbons of its alkyl groups to provide (4-3,4-3,5)4F8G2X. The self-organization of (4-3,4-3,5)4F8G2X was analyzed by a combination of oriented fiber intermediate angle X-ray scattering, wide angle X-ray scattering, electron density maps, and reconstructed X-ray diffractograms by emplying molecular models. These experiments demonstrated that fluorophobic effect of (4-3,4-3,5)4F8G2X mediated mostly via the helical confiormation of the fluorinated fragments sharper miocrosegregation of the fluorinated fragments in the most ordered states of the resulting 12₄ helical porous columns. These results support the original model of self-organization of dendrons and provide access to new and simpler synthetic avenues for the construction of mimics of aquaporin channels which are of great interest for cell biology and for the next generation of membranes for water separation and water purification.