title: Directed assembly of optoelectronically active alkyl-π-conjugated molecules by adding n-alkanes or π-conjugated species.
abstract: Supramolecular assembly can yield ordered structures by taking advantage of the cumulative effect of multiple non-covalent interactions between adjacent molecules. The thermodynamic origin of many self-assembled structures in water is the balance between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments of the molecule. Here, we show that this approach can be generalized to use solvophobic and solvophilic segments of fully hydrophobic alkylated fullerene molecules. Addition of n-alkanes results in their assembly--due to the antipathy of C60 towards n-alkanes--into micelles and hexagonally packed gel-fibres containing insulated C60 nanowires. The addition of pristine C60 instead directs the assembly into lamellar mesophases by increasing the proportion of π-conjugated material in the mixture. The assembled structures contain a large fraction of optoelectronically active material and exhibit comparably high photoconductivities. This method is shown to be applicable to several alkyl-π-conjugated molecules, and can be used to construct organized functional materials with π-conjugated sections.
authors: 1] National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan [2] School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST55BG, UK.
authors: Martin J
authors: MJ
authors: Hollamby
authors: Warsaw University of Technology, Pl. Politechniki 1, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland.
authors: Maciej
authors: M
authors: Karny
authors: Laboratory of Materials and Interface Chemistry & Soft Matter CryoTEM Research Unit, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute of Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors: Paul H H
authors: PH
authors: Bomans
authors: Laboratory of Materials and Interface Chemistry & Soft Matter CryoTEM Research Unit, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute of Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors: Nico A J M
authors: NA
authors: Sommerdijk
authors: Laboratory of Materials and Interface Chemistry & Soft Matter CryoTEM Research Unit, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute of Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors: Nico A J M
authors: NA
authors: Sommerdjik
authors: Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Akinori
authors: A
authors: Saeki
authors: Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Shu
authors: 0000000178514405
authors: S
authors: Seki
authors: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan.
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Minamikawa
authors: Institut Max-von-Laue-Paul-Langevin, BP 156-X, F-38042 Grenoble, Cedex, France.
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Grillo
authors: National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan.
authors: Brian R
authors: BR
authors: Pauw
authors: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Brown
authors: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK.
authors: Julian
authors: J
authors: Eastoe
authors: Department of Interfaces, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm, Potsdam 14476, Germany.
authors: Helmuth
authors: H
authors: Möhwald
authors: 1] National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan [2] Warsaw University of Technology, Pl. Politechniki 1, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland.
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Nakanishi
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008823:Micelles; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D037741:Fullerenes; D008823:Micelles