Hydrophobicity Control in Adaptive Crystalline Assemblies

摘要

An amphiphile based on polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer and two molecular moieties (perylene diimide and C-7 fluoroalkyl, PDI and C7F) attached to its termini assembles into crystalline films with long-range order. The films reversibly switch from crystalline to amorphous above the PEG melting temperature. The adaptive behavior stems from the responsiveness of the PEG domain and the robustness of the PDI and C7F assemblies. The hydrophobicity of the film can be controlled by heating, resulting in switching from highly hydrophobic to superhydrophilic. The long-range order, reversible crystallinity switching, and the temperature-controlled wettability demonstrate the potential of block copolymer analogues based on simple polymeric/molecular hybrids.