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Hierarchical Growth of Fluorescent Dye Aggregates in Water by Fusion of Segmented Nanostructures
Author(s) -
Zhang Xin,
Görl Daniel,
Stepanenko Vladimir,
Würthner Frank
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201308963
Subject(s) - nanorod , nanostructure , transmission electron microscopy , nanotechnology , fluorescence , perylene , supramolecular chemistry , amphiphile , materials science , self assembly , scanning electron microscope , chemistry , chemical engineering , molecule , polymer , organic chemistry , copolymer , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material
Dye aggregates are becoming increasingly attractive for diverse applications, in particular as organic electronic and sensor materials. However, the growth processes of such aggregates from molecular to small assemblies up to nanostructures is still not properly understood, limiting the design of materials’ functional properties. Here we elucidate the supramolecular growth process for an outstanding class of functional dyes, perylene bisimides (PBIs), by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo‐SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our studies reveal a sequential growth of amphiphilic PBI dyes from nanorods into nanoribbons in water by fusion and fission processes. More intriguingly, the fluorescence observed for higher hierarchical order nanoribbons was enhanced relative to that of nanorods. Our results provide insight into the relationship between molecular, morphological, and functional properties of self‐assembled organic materials.