Chemical fuel-driven living and transient supramolecular polymerization

Temporal control over self-assembly process is a desirable trait in the quest towards adaptable and controllable materials. The ability to devise synthetic ways to control the growth, as well as decay of materials has long been a property which only the biological systems could perform seamlessly. A common synthetic strategy which works on the biological principles such as chemical fuel-driven control over temporal self-assembly profile has not been completely realized synthetically. Here we show, we filled this dearth by showing that a chemical fuel driven self-assembling system can not only be grown in a controlled manner, but it can also result in precise control over the assembly and disassembly kinetics. Herein, we elaborate strategies which clearly show that once a chemical fuel driven self-assembly is established it can be made receptive to multiple molecular cues such that the inherent growth and decay characteristics are programmed into the ensemble. Temporal control over self-assembly processes is a desirable trait for discovering adaptable and controllable materials. Here the authors show that a chemical fuel driven system can not only self-assemble in a controlled manner, but can also result in precise control over the assembly and disassembly kinetics.