Zeolite-like liquid crystals.
Zeolites represent inorganic solid-state materials with porous structures of fascinating complexity. Recently, significant progress was made by reticular synthesis of related organic solid-state materials, such as metal-organic or covalent organic frameworks. Herein we go a step further and report the first example of a fluid honeycomb mimicking a zeolitic framework. In this unique self-assembled liquid crystalline structure, transverse-lying π-conjugated rod-like molecules form pentagonal channels, encircling larger octagonal channels, a structural motif also found in some zeolites. Additional bundles of coaxial molecules penetrate the centres of the larger channels, unreachable by chains attached to the honeycomb framework. This creates a unique fluid hybrid structure combining positive and negative anisotropies, providing the potential for tuning the directionality of anisotropic optical, electrical and magnetic properties. This work also demonstrates a new approach to complex soft-matter self-assembly, by using frustration between space filling and the entropic penalty of chain extension.
Institute of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany.
Silvio
S
Poppe
Institute of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany.
Anne
A
Lehmann
Institute of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany.
Alexander
A
Scholte
Institute of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany.
Marko
M
Prehm
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
Xiangbing
X
Zeng
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.|Department of Physics, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Xiasha College Park, 310018 Hangzhou, China.
Goran
G
Ungar
Institute of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany.
Carsten
C
Tschierske