For the first time amphiphilic receptors based on the 1,3-alternate stereoisomeric form of thiacalix[4]arene, bearing carboxyl/sulphonate polar headgroups on one side and 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) residues on another side of the macrocyclic plane, were synthesized. It was shown that embedding of synthesized macrocycles in PCDA vesicles results in stable colloids with a size around 300 nm. The temperature of ultrasonication before UV irradiation has a critical impact on the packing of vesicles for better polymerization. The increase of calixarene content in PCDA vesicles causes a decrease in the degree of PCDA polymerization. Nevertheless, calixarene additives dramatically change the colorimetric response of photopolymerized PCDA vesicles toward metal ions. Vesicles with 10 mol% content of calixarene have significant colorimetric response toward lanthanide ions with a detection limit up to 8 μM. The colorimetric response in the series of lanthanide ions depends on the ionic radius, and the greatest response was found for the largest La(III) ion. It was found that binding of calixarene–PCDA vesicles with lanthanide ions results in the formation of large 1 μm aggregates followed by sedimentation. Thus, the mechanism of colorimetric response of calixarene-decorated polydiacetylene vesicles toward lanthanide ions includes the distortion of the calixarene cavity provoking perturbation of the PDA backbone accompanied by metal-induced aggregation of functionalized vesicles with sedimentation of particles. Therefore, calixarene–PCDA vesicles have great potential for the future design of bifunctional colloids with sensor and separation applications.

In this study, new types of amphiphilic calix[4]arene derivatives bearing N-alkyl/aryl imidazolium/benzimidazolium fragments were designed and synthesized by two step transformation: Regioselective Blanc chloromethylation of distal-di-O-butyl calix[4]arene and subsequent interaction with N-Substituted imidazole/benzimidazole. Critical aggregation concentration (CAC) values were estimated using pyrene fluorescent probe. Obtained macrocycles were found to form submicron particles with electrokinetic potential +44–+57 mV in aqueous solution. For the first time it was found that amphiphilic calixarene causes the fast transformation of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) multilamellar vesicles into unilamellar ones and leads to the ordering of the lipid in membranes at the molar calixarene/DPPC ratio more than 0.07. In situ complexes of calixarene aggregates with Pd(OAc)₂ were found to be active in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of 1-bromo-4-nitrobenzene with phenylboronic acid in water. It was shown that bulky N-substituents of heterocycle decrease the catalytic activity of the aggregates. These result can be assigned to the inhibition effect of Pd(II) complex in situ formation by bulky substituents located on the aggregate surface. Embedding of the most active palladium N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex with methylimidazolium headgroups into DPPC vesicles enhances its catalytic activity in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling.

Artificial gene delivery systems are in great demand from both scientific and practical biomedical points of view. In this paper, we present the synthesis of a new click chemistry calix[4]arene precursor with free lower rim and new water-soluble calixarene triazoles with 12 amino-groups on the upper rim (one with free phenol hydroxyl groups and two another containing four butyl or tetradecyl fragments). Aggregation in the series of amino-triazole calixarenes of different lipophilicity (calixarene with free phenol hydroxyl groups or butyl and tetradecyl fragments on the lower rim) was studied using dynamic light scattering and fluorescent pyrene probe. It was found that calix[4]arene with a free lower rim, like alkyl-substituted butyl calix[4]arene, forms stable submicron aggregates 150–200 nm in size, while the more lipophilic tetradecyl –substituted calix[4]arene forms micellar aggregates19 nm in size. Using UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorimetry and CD, it was shown that amino-triazole calix[4]arenes bind to calf thymus DNA by classical intercalation. According to DLS and TEM data, all studied macrocycles cause significant DNA compaction, forming stable nanoparticles 50–20 nm in size. Among all studied calix[4]arenes the most lipophilic tetradecyl one proved to be the best for both binding and compaction of DNA.

In this article, we report the synthesis of mono- and bimetallic Pd–Ni nanocomposites supported on a multicharged polymeric matrix for catalytic applications.