An aqueous solution of chlorinated polyethylene glycol (Cl-PEG-Cl) and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) was used to form inclusion complexes, which several α-CDs are threaded into the linear PEG chain and produced a so-called polypseudorotaxane (PPRx). By attaching 4-ethylaniline as the blocking agent to the chlorinated PEG chain ends, the complex will be stabilized, resulting in the formation of so-called polyrotaxane (PRx) (also known as molecular necklace). Finally, crosslinked αCD-based PRx with a tubular structure was formed via the condensation reactions between α-cyclodextrins and epichlorohydrin. Using concentrated NaOH solution, polymer chains were then removed from complexes, resulting in the so-called molecular tube (MT). This novel method led to the improvement in polyrotaxane conversion with less production steps and reduced materials overall costs. Resulting products in each section were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies (¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR), from which complex inclusion ratio and length of the nanotubes were estimated. XRD was also used to confirm tubular structure of the inclusion complexes.

Graphical abstract

中文翻译：

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4-乙基苯胺封端的α-环糊精/氯化聚乙二醇复合物聚轮烷分子纳米管的合成与表征

使用氯化聚乙二醇（Cl-PEG-Cl）和α-环糊精（α-CD）的水溶液形成包合物，其中多个α-CD穿入线性PEG链中并产生所谓的聚拟轮烷（polypseudorotaxane）。 PPRx）。通过将 4-乙基苯胺作为封闭剂连接到氯化 PEG 链末端，复合物将得到稳定，从而形成所谓的聚轮烷 (PRx)（也称为分子项链）。最后，通过α-环糊精和环氧氯丙烷之间的缩合反应形成具有管状结构的交联αCD基PRx。然后使用浓 NaOH 溶液从复合物中去除聚合物链，形成所谓的分子管 (MT)。这种新颖的方法提高了聚轮烷的转化率，减少了生产步骤，降低了材料的总体成本。^{每个部分中所得的产物均通过1} H 和¹³ C 核磁共振波谱（¹ H-NMR 和¹³ C-NMR）进行表征，从中估计复合包含物比率和纳米管的长度。XRD 还用于确认包合物的管状结构。

图形概要