Collaboration between Kilbinger and Lattuada Groups: a new helical polymer with precise control over its structure and chirality, using polymerization and simulations methods to understand how the molecules organize and stack; in the journal Macromolecules entitled, "Fluorinated Aromatic Amide Helices: Synthesis and Modeling of Helical Handedness".

Congratulations to all; Mr. saquib Farooq, Ms. Miroslava Nedyalkova , Mr. Subhajit Pal and Mr. Aurélien Crochet, Prof. Andreas Kilbinger and Prof. Lattuada Marco.

For more information and to read the article: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.5c00723

Abstract

We present a next-generation helical polyamide synthesized from 5-amino-2,4-difluorobenzoic acid. Polymerization, driven by chloro-tritolylphosphonium iodide (PHOS3), achieved precise molecular weight control and narrow dispersity. Introducing (R) and (S) chiral initiators successfully induced well-defined helical structures, as confirmed by distinct Cotton effects with opposing signs. Molecular dynamics simulations provided deeper insight into the self-assembly process of two helices adopting opposite helicities (P and M). Notably, S–M helices formed compact, highly cohesive, noncovalent stacks, demonstrating packing efficiency over their S–P counterparts. These findings enhance our understanding of polymer chirality, molecular organization, and self-assembly, paving the way for the rational design of advanced helical materials with promising applications in materials science.