Supramolecular Selfassembly of DNA Complexes with

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Supramolecular Self-assembly of DNA Complexes
with Cationic Lipids Having Calamitic, Discotic,
and Cubic Tails Lei Zhu, University of
Connecticut, DMR-0348724

• Imidazolium salt containing cationic lipids with
  cyanobiphenyl (rodlike), triphenylene (discotic),
  and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS,
  cubic) tails were synthesized.
• DNA complexes with rodlike and discotic cationic
  lipids exhibited liquid crystalline
  self-assembly, while DNA-POSS complex is
  crystalline.
• DNA-rod had a smectic A type lamellar phase,
  whereas DNA-disk had a double lamello-columnar
  phase. DNA-POSS had an inverted hexagonal phase,
  in which POSS crystallized into lamellar
  crystals.
• With increasing the tail size,
  lamellar-to-inverted hexagonal phase transition
  was observed
• Publications
• 1. Cui, L. et al. Macromolecules 2006, 39,
  2536-2545.
• 2. Cui, L. et al. Langmuir 2006, 22, 5982-5985.
• 3. Cui, L. et al. Liq. Cryst. 2006, in press.
• 4. Cui, L. et al. Chem. Mater. 2006, ASAP.

Fig. 1. Chemical structures of DNA complexes with
various cationic lipids having rodlike, discotic,
and cubic tails. Lamello-columnar to inverted
hexagonal morphological transition was observed
when the tails size and shape increased from
rodlike and discotic to cubic, as studied by 2D
X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron
microscopy (TEM).
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Supramolecular Self-assembly of DNA Complexes
with Cationic Lipids Having Calamitic, Discotic,
and Cubic Tails Lei Zhu, University of
Connecticut, DMR-0348724
Education at Graduate and Undergraduate Levels
Two Ph.D. students Lu Sun (4th yr), Jianjun Miao
(3rd yr) One post-doctoral fellow Dr. Li Cui
Two REU undergraduate students Amanda Feldman
and Christine Ricci Five Chemical Engineering
undergraduate students participated independent
research

• Outreach for K12 Education
• An RET teacher , Mr. Robert Pirrie from E. O.
  Smith High School, works with us this summer.
  Together with a REU student, Christine Ricci
  (Smith College), he focuses on the synthesis and
  characterization of asymmetric discotic liquid
  crystals. One of his high school students
  volunteers to participate his research for a few
  days in this August. He intends to extend this
  collaboration between UConn and his high school
  to future interactions.

• The PI taught both Somers Middle and High
  Schools science and technology classes (see the
  picture above). The high school students
  performed experiments to make various shaped
  bubbles from polymer surfactants. The middle
  school students learned polymer displays for next
  generation TV.
• One-week workshop for high school teachers,
  including demonstration and experiments on making
  liquid crystal cells for displays.