Wang H.-L., Tang Z., Gao Y., Magyar R.J., Tretiak S., Shreve A.P.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, US
Keywords: azobenzene, Langmuir, noncavalent interaction, self-assembly
We strive to design syntheses of a series of amphiphilic molecular building blocks that can self-assembled at the air-water interface to form 2D and 3D nanostructures with specific opto-electronic properties. Compression of these molecular building blocks – azobenezene derivatives with tunable dipole-dipole interactions– using Langmuir-Blodgett method gives rise to monolayer thin films with different packing density and electronic coupling between chromophores. Depends on the dipole-dipole interactions, we observe a transition of thin film from amorphous to ordered structures and this transition is exhibited in their optical spectroscopy. Furthermore, we use a series of spectroscopy tools such as neutron and X-ray reflectometery to probe the nanoassembly structures at the molecular level. We also use simulation method to help determine how molecules come together at the air-water interface. Our results demonstrate that the interplay between dipole-dipole and ?-? interactions dominate the formation of amorphous and ordered thin films and their associated properties. Based on our understanding, we expect to achieve synthesis of a wide range of 2D and 3D functional nanoassemblies that are previous inaccessible.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Technical Proceedings of the 2005 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 1
Published: May 8, 2005
Pages: 754 - 757
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Personal & Home Care, Food & Agriculture
Topic: Personal & Home Care, Food & Agriculture
ISBN: 0-9767985-0-6