Evolution of Nano- to Microsized Spherical Assemblies of a Short Oligo(p-phenylene-ethynylene) into Superstructured Organogels

摘要

The self-assembly of linear pi-conjugated molecules to form nanoarchitectures of different morphologies is important in various fields of nanoscience and technology, particularly in the emerging field of supramolecular electronics.In this context, oligo(p-phenyleneethyny-lene)s (OPEs), a class of conjugated molecules often referred as "molecular wires" has attracted much attention, particularly for the design of molecular electronic devices. Although meta- and para-linked oligo- and poly(p-phenyl-eneethynylene)s (PPEs) are known to form solvophobically induced assemblies in solvent mixtures of different polarities, the creation of stable supramolecular self-assemblies of short OPEs with different shapes and sizes from a single solvent of choice continues to be challenging. Herein, we report an unprecedented hierarchical self-assembly of a short OPE into nano-particles, microspheres, and superstructures of different size and morphology that eventually result in stable blue-light emitting organogels.