Fig. 2.

Controlling intracellular assemblies. a Oligothiophene design containing a self-assembly reporter and an albumin binding motif. b Formation of stable complexes (I–III) with human serum albumin (HSA) that mediates water-solubility and cellular uptake. c Each oligothiophene analogue localizes and self-assembles intracellularly in a unique way based on the tailored aromatic head group (Ar), which allows real-time detection of molecular (green fluorescence) and self-assembled (red fluorescence) states. Several intracellular compartments can be specifically targeted by simply adjusting the head group (Ar) of the oligothiophene