Control on dimensions and supramolecular chirality of self-assemblies through light and metal ions

• Main Authors: Liu, Guofeng, Sheng, Jianhui, Teo, Wei Liang, Yang, Guangbao, Wu, Hongwei, Li, Yongxin, Zhao, Yanli
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Science::Chemistry; Chirality; Self Organization
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137709
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Precise control over helical chirality and dimensions of molecular self-assemblies, a remaining challenge for both chemists and materials scientists, is the key to manipulate the property and performance of supramolecular materials. Herein, we report that a cholesterol-azopyridine conjugate could self-assemble into organogels with photocontrollable dimensional transition from 2D microbelts to 1D nanotubes and finally to 0D nanoparticles. The E/ Z-Photoisomerization of the 4-azopyridine unit is the major driving force for the dimensional transformation. Furthermore, the self-assembled structures were observed to exhibit metal ion-mediated helicity inversion through the metal coordination. These observations were collectively confirmed by several techniques including scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism, and X-ray crystallography. The rational design of building blocks for the construction of dimension and chirality controllable self-assembly systems may lead to versatile applications in smart display, advanced optoelectronic device, and supramolecular asymmetric catalysis.