A nitric oxide-triggered hydrolysis reaction to construct controlled self-assemblies with complex topologies

Hydrolysis reactions are capable of directing the non-equilibrium assembly of biomolecular scaffolds to realize sophisticated structures and functions in natural systems. However, utilizing the proper hydrolysis reactions to construct controlled assemblies with complex topologies is still an arduous challenge in artificial systems and needs to be addressed. Herein, we report a nitric oxide (NO)-triggered slow hydrolysis strategy for the controlled construction of biomimetic supramolecular toroids (STs), thus realizing their visualization of intermediate structures and regulation of geometry parameters. This presented protocol harnesses hydrolysis reactions to control of non-equilibrium self-assembly processes for the construction of self-assemblies with complex topologies successfully, which sheds light on how the hydrolysis reaction rate can modulate the kinetic pathway of assembly, thus realizing the artificial establishment of bio-inspired hierarchical structures.