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Nanofibers with Tunable Stiffness from Self‐Assembly of an Amphiphilic Wedge–Coil Molecule
Author(s) -
Kim JungKeun,
Lee Eunji,
Lee Myongsoo
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.200602298
Subject(s) - nanofiber , wedge (geometry) , materials science , amphiphile , molecule , self assembly , electromagnetic coil , polarity (international relations) , ethylene oxide , solvent , stiffness , polymer chemistry , polar , chemical engineering , composite material , copolymer , nanotechnology , chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , optics , biochemistry , physics , engineering , astronomy , cell , electrical engineering
Thin end of the wedge : A block molecule, which consists of a rigid wedge‐shaped aromatic segment linked at its apex to a flexible poly(ethylene oxide) chain, self‐assembles into cylindrical nanofibers in both polar and nonpolar solvents. The structure of the nanofibers changes reversibly in response to solvent polarity, from highly flexible coil‐like cylinders in water to stiff rodlike aggregates in n‐ hexane (see picture).