Formation of supramolecular structures in aqueous medium by noncovalent interactions between surfactant and resorcin[4]arene

Self-assembly of molecular elements through non-covalent interactions plays a central role in supramolecular chemistry. The intermolecular interactions between macrocyclic and open-chain amphiphilic building blocks have been of large interest for last decade, since their mixed assembly is an example of building nanostructures by supramolecular bottom-up synthesis. Here we report that noncovalent interactions of viologen-based resorcin [4]arene cavitand with sodium dodecyl sulphate can enable self-assembly into highly-ordered supramolecular structures. A set of physicochemical methods was used to study the aggregation and binding properties of the supramolecular system based on these components. It was found that in this system the morphological transitions are observed depending on the ratio of the components of the system. The effectiveness of the mixed compositions as carriers for hydrophilic doxorubicin and hydrophobic antioxidants rutin and quercetin was evaluated, and a high loading efficiency of drugs and the ability to sustained release were found for the equimolar system. This study demonstrates features of such supramolecular structures, highlighting their potential applications in drug delivery.