A route to hierarchical materials based on complexes of metallosupramolecular polyelectrolytes and amphiphiles

摘要

Anisotropic thin film materials of metallosupramolecular poly- electrolyte-amphiphile complexes (denoted PACs) with struc- tures at several length scales were fabricated through a multi- step self-assembly process. Metal ion-mediated self-assembty of the ditopic ligand 1,4-bis(2,2＇:6＇,2＂-terpyridine-4＇-yl)benzene and electrostatic binding with the amphiphile dihexadecyl phos- phate result in a PAC with tailored surface chemical properties. including solubility and surface activity. The PAC forms a stable monolayer at the air-water interface that is readily transferred and oriented on solid supports with the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The presented strategy unifies colloid and metal- losupramolecular chemistry and opens a versatile route to hierarchical materials with tailored structures and functions.