Self-assembly of folic acid/melamine complexes with hierarchy levels: from membranes to porous spherulites and networks

Abstract

We report a hierarchical self-assembly shown by the complexation of folic acid and melamine in water. With the increase in folic acid (FA) concentration, 2D membranes, 0D spherulites and 3D networks with porous structures are constructed. H-bonds and π–π stacking interaction are proven to be the basic driving forces for the formation of membrane and plates with high inter-affinity, which further self-organize into anisotropic spherulites that show strong birefringence. When the concentration of FA increases further, cross-linked networks with high viscoelasticity are generated.