Functionalized supramolecular materials

The design and creation of regularly shaped nanoscale objects which can serve as building blocks of supramolecular materials is an extremely important goal in materials science. Controlling the spatial organization of such objects could deliver materials with defined chemical and topographical nanoscale features, potentially leading to novel physical properties or integrating several properties in a single material. Herein, we report on a class of triblock rodcoil molecules that self organize into supramolecular units of regular shape and size. The materials formed by these supramolecular units are characterized by small angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, second harmonic generation, and photoluminescence. Interestingly, second harmonic generation indicates the packing of supramolecular units is polar within self-organized films with thicknesses on the order of microns. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.