A Double-Tailed Fluorescent Surfactant with a Hexavanadate Cluster as the Head Group

摘要

Surfactants are common amphophilic materials that usually contain small polar head groups and long hydrophobic tails. Surfactants can self-assemble into micellar or vesicular structures in both polar and nonpolar media (in this case the assemblies are referred as reverse micelles or reverse vesicles) and consequently create microenvironments.Recently, some novel surfactants with large inorganic metal oxide clusters as polar head groups have been synthesized. The metal oxides are mostly polyoxometalates (POMs), a large class of polyanionic, relatively hydrophilic clusters that consist of early transition metals (usually Mo, W, V, Nb, and Ta) in their highest oxidation states and oxo ligands. Grafting hydrophobic components to the clusters can introduce amphiphilic properties to the POMs and enhances the compatibility of POM clusters with nonpolar media; which will expand the potential applications of these clusters.