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A multi-technique approach to prove the preparation of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene/cucurbit[7]uril) pseudorotaxanes (PEDOT∙CB7-PPs) is reported. Molecular docking simulation and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) validate the complexation ability of the CB7 molecule towards 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT), which leads to the EDOT∙CB7 inclusion complex. Oxidative polymerization of EDOT∙CB7 enabled the synthesis of PEDOT∙CB7-PPs. The water-soluble part of PEDOT∙CB7-PPs was selected, freeze-dried, and chemically characterized. Furthermore, dynamic light scattering (DLS) has been used to study the particle size and z-potential (ZP-ζ) of PEDOT∙CB7-PPs. The ZP-ζ value (35 mV) evidenced that the PEDOT∙CB7-PPs formed stable water dispersion. By combining the emerging nanopore resistive pulse sensing technique (Np-RPS) and computational modeling, we identified strong interactions of PEDOT∙CB7-PPs with the aerolysin (Ael) nanopore. PEDOT∙CB7-PPs behave as positive charged species, and thus trans negative bias promotes its interactions with the Ael nanopore. The computational modeling results are fully consistent with the Np-RPS detection, which also reveals strong interactions between PEDOT∙CB7-PPs and the Ael nanopore. With this study, we hope to provide new insights and a better understanding of the interactions between supramolecular complexes based on CB7 and biological entities, which is instrumental for future applications in the field of nanobiotechnology.

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 24 June 2022
Revised: 26 July 2022
Accepted: 16 August 2022
Published: 03 October 2022
Issue date: February 2023

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2022

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS–UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-PCE-2021-0906, within PNCDI III and the Institute des Études Avancées (IEA) of Cergy-Pontoise University (Project INEX “Pi-ROT” #73). We are also grateful to Dr. C. Peptu, Dr. L. Sacarescu, and Dr. A. Ghilan for their generous help in MALDI MS, TEM, and DLS investigations.

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