Generation-dependent molecular recognition controls self-assembly in supramolecular dendron-virus complexes.

In this work molecular dynamics simulation identifies a clear link between the dendron-virus multivalent molecular recognition and the nature of the consequent self-assembly. Data demonstrate how a weak hydrophobic association is transformed in an electrostatic self-assembly, orders of magnitude stronger, depending on the dendron generation used to assemble the viruses. This opens a new frontier in the engineering of hierarchical self-assemblies, potentially enabling the control of the supramolecular properties by acting at the single-molecule level.