Base-pairing mediated non-covalent polymers

Abstract

The naturally occurring nucleic acid bases (nucleobases) adenine, thymine (uracil), guanine, and cytosine are widely appreciated for their ability to stabilize canonical Watson–Crick base-pairing motifs, as well as a number of other well-characterized arrangements, such as Hoogsteen and wobble heterodimers, and a variety of homodimers. In this tutorial review, the use of these kinds of interactions to form synthetic polymeric and oligomeric ensembles is summarized. Particular emphasis will be placed on synthetic analogues of guanine that stabilize the formation of well-defined higher order aggregates, as well as de novo polymeric systems whose properties are modulated by the presence of nucleobase derivatives incorporated within or attached to the chain-defining backbone. In both cases, nucleobase–nucleobase interactions serve to underlie the chemistry, establish the structural morphology, and enable the development of bioinspired, environmentally responsive materials.