title: Anisotropic Self-Assembly of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Microtoroids.
abstract: Toroidal structures based on self-assembly of predesigned building blocks are well-established in the literature, but spontaneous self-organization to prepare such structures has not been reported to date. Here, organic-inorganic hybrid microtoroids synthesized by simultaneous coordination-driven assembly of amphiphilic molecules and hydrophilic polymers are reported. Mixing amphiphilic molecules with iron(III) chloride and hydrophilic polymers in water leads, within minutes, to the formation of starlike nanostructures. A spontaneous self-organization of these nanostructures is then triggered to form stable hybrid microtoroids. Interestingly, the toroids exhibit anisotropic hierarchical growth, giving rise to a layered toroidal framework. These microstructures are mechanically robust and can act as templates to host metallic nanoparticles such as gold and silver. Understanding the nature of spontaneous assembly driven by coordination multiple non-covalent interactions can help explain the well-ordered complexity of many biological organisms in addition to expanding the available tools to mimic such structures at a molecular level.
authors: Smart Hybrid Materials Laboratory (SHMs), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Safa'a
authors: S
authors: Al-Rehili
authors: Smart Hybrid Materials Laboratory (SHMs), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Karim
authors: K
authors: Fhayli
authors: Smart Hybrid Materials Laboratory (SHMs), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Mohamed Amen
authors: MA
authors: Hammami
authors: Smart Hybrid Materials Laboratory (SHMs), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Basem
authors: B
authors: Moosa
authors: Smart Hybrid Materials Laboratory (SHMs), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Sachin
authors: S
authors: Patil
authors: Imaging and Characterization Core Laboratories, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Daliang
authors: D
authors: Zhang
authors: Imaging and Characterization Core Laboratories, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ohoud
authors: O
authors: Alharbi
authors: Imaging and Characterization Core Laboratories, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Mohamed Nejib
authors: MN
authors: Hedhili
authors: Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces , Am Muehlenberg 1,14476 Potsdam, Germany.
authors: Helmuth
authors: H
authors: Möhwald
authors: Smart Hybrid Materials Laboratory (SHMs), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Niveen M
authors: NM
authors: Khashab