From bola-amphiphiles to supra-amphiphiles: the transformation from two-dimensional nanosheets into one-dimensional nanofibers with tunable-packing fashion of n-type chromophores.
With a rational design of the supra-amphiphiles, we have successfully demonstrated that not only the dimension of the self-assembled nanostructures, but also the packing fashion of the functional naphthalene diimide (a typical n-type chromophore), can be tuned in a noncovalent way in aqueous solution. Naphthalene diimide is incorporated into a bola-amphiphile as the rigid core, whereas viologen derivatives are used as the hydrophilic head. The bola-amphiphile self-assembles into two-dimensional nanosheets, in which naphthalene diimide adopts a "J-type" aggregation. Water-soluble supramolecular complexation between viologen derivatives and the 8-hydroxypyrene-1, 3, 6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt is used as a driving force for the formation of the supra-amphiphiles. Upon formation of the supra-amphiphiles, the nanosheets transform into ultralong nanofibers with a close packing of naphthalene diimide. Notably, just by mixing the two building blocks of the supra-amphiphiles in aqueous solution, a dimension-controlled evolution of the nanostructures is formed that leads to a different packing fashion of the n-type functional chromophores, which is facile and environmental friendly.
Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
Kai
K
Liu
Yuxing
Y
Yao
Chao
C
Wang
Yu
Y
Liu
Zhibo
Z
Li
Xi
X
Zhang