Template assisted synthesis of silica-coated molecular crystal nanorods: From hydrophobic to hydrophilic nanorods.
We report a method for the preparation of silica-coated molecular crystal nanorods. A sol-gel method was used to make silica nanotubes inside anodized alumina templates. The nanotubes were then loaded with 9-anthracene carboxylic acid (9-AC) and solvent annealed to produce silica-coated organic nanorods. The core-shell structure was confirmed using electron microscopy, and the highly crystalline organic core was characterized using powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The silica-coated 9-AC rods had much improved dispersal properties in aqueous solution, and were also able to undergo reversible bending under UV illumination, as observed previously for uncoated 9-AC rods. This work demonstrates that it is possible to make surface-coated molecular crystal nanorods that retain their useful functionalities.
Al-Kaysi
Rabih O
RO
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. kaysir@ksau-hs.edu.sa
Dillon
Robert J
RJ
Zhu
Lingyan
L
Bardeen
Christopher J
CJ