Prof. Roey J. Amir
10/04/2025
אודיטוריום ע"ש דויד וואנג, בניין מידן, קומה 3
13:30
Nature’s supramolecular assemblies can adopt diverse structures and functions, enabling them to perform intricate biological tasks. Inspired by this adaptability, stimuli‐responsive polymeric amphiphiles have emerged over the past two decades, yet most systems transition only between two states (e.g., assembled to disassembled). Enzyme‐responsive polymers are particularly attractive for biomedical applications, but they too generally exhibit a single transition, with only a few examples capable of multiple phase changes via incorporation of multiple responsive units.
In this talk, we present a modular approach for programming polymeric assemblies to undergo several sequential mesophase transitions using macromolecular architecture and hydrophobicity as the programming tools. By harnessing the different kinetic stabilities of amphiphilic di‐ and tri‐block copolymers, we trigger a single enzyme‐activated cascade in which micelles transform into polymeric hydrogels, and eventually into soluble polymers. Moreover, the time frame of these transitions can be tuned by adjusting the structures and ratios of the two amphiphiles. This strategy demonstrates how macromolecular architecture can drive complex structural rearrangements in polymeric systems, paving the way for advanced materials that adopt multiple functions or morphologies in response to a single stimulus.