Fluorescence Visualization of Helix Inversion in Biomimic Polymeric Foldamer Article Swipe
YOU?
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· 2025
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202512834
· OA: W4415673942
Biomacromolecules such as DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides possess unique helical structures that are closely related to their biological functions involving recognition, catalysis, replication, and genetic information storage. From a biomimetic perspective, artificial foldamers are the ideal systems to model and study the structure–property relationship of biomacromolecules. Herein, we report a facile, rapid, and cost‐effective method to directly visualize and monitor the solvent‐driven helix inversion in a water‐soluble poly( m ‐phenylene ethynylene)‐based foldamer with the aid of a tetraphenylethene‐functionalized hemicyanine dye. By adjusting the solvent environment, the foldamer transitions from an M ‐helix to a P ‐helix, accompanied by a change in the dye's binding mode from groove to surface. This transition alters the degree of restriction and microenvironment polarity, resulting in a visible emission color change from yellow to red, signaling the helix inversion. The present investigation offers a powerful tool for understanding conformational transitions in biomacromolecules and offers insights into the dynamic behavior of helical structures.
