Synthesis of Calixarene-Polyglycerol Conjugates and their Self-Assembly Toward Nano and Microtubes

Calixarenes as macrocyclic oligomers with 4-20 phenol units represent two defined rims and a hydrophobic core. Since they show extensive host properties for small guest molecules, calixarenes are of high interest in supramolecularscience[1-2]. Due to the many unique properties, calixarenes are interesting candidates for the preparation of supramolecular polymers and nanostructures.In this work, new type of hyperbranched polymers and copolymers with calixarene core (HPCs) have been synthesized and characterized by different methods. Depend on the time and also composition of polymer, conjugated to calixareneself-assembly of HPCs in aqueous solutions lead to nano- and microtubes (Figure 1). Those supramolecular tubes are able to encapsulate anticancer drugs such as curcumin and therefore show a potential application for future cancer therapy.