Knowledge Bank

As most building blocks of our biological system are consists of organic compounds and macromolecules, organic molecules and polymeric materials are optimal as biomaterials. By designing materials from a bottom-up viewpoint, well defined structures can be built with concise engineering, therefore achieving miniaturization and its functionality at the same time. Molecular self-assembly in aqueous systems, is one of the bottom-up approach to form structures with desired morphology. A few examples, both in biological and engineered systems, demonstrated how covalent and noncovalent bonding serves its purpose to build a form a multicomponent, multifunctional macrosystem via self-assembly, which could be varied by multiple factors, including pH and assembly steps. Furthermore, multiple strategies were discussed that contributed to the framework of functional materials. For photosensitive molecules, D-A-D architecture can be used to control radiative and non-radiative energy release. For polymer based-nanocarriers, nanoparticles and hydrogels are two common designs to assist controlled drug release. Three research projects described in this thesis introduces multiple techniques to assist molecular design and understanding, from multiple types of instrumentation for materials characterization, to computational methods. The first project demonstrates the utilization of computational methods for seeking new research ideas. The second project demonstrated how molecular design can lead to desired properties, followed by encapsulation in a nanocarrier, that further introduces more functionalities such as photothermal properties. The third project demonstrated how concise design of a nanocarrier can enhance drug loading efficiency and targeted delivery.