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Frontispiece: Discovery of Structural Complexity through Self‐Assembly of Molecules Containing Rodlike Components
Author(s) -
Zhang Ruimeng,
Su Zebin,
Yan XiaoYun,
Huang Jiahao,
Shan Wenpeng,
Dong XueHui,
Feng Xueyan,
Lin Zhiwei,
Cheng Stephen Z. D.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.202083061
Subject(s) - self assembly , nanotechnology , liquid crystal , materials science , molecule , construct (python library) , molecular self assembly , molecular engineering , rational design , block (permutation group theory) , chemical physics , chemistry , computer science , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , geometry , mathematics , programming language
Self‐assembly is a process in which a disordered system spontaneously develops ordered structures without external directions. In materials science and technology, self‐assembly in the bulk has been extensively utilized to fabricate desired microscopic structures. Rodlike molecules have emerged as one of the most promising molecular building blocks to construct functional materials. Although the self‐assembly of conventional molecules containing rodlike components generally results in nematic or layered smectic phases, extensive efforts have revealed that rational molecular design provides a versatile platform to engineer rich self‐assembled structures. In their Review article on page 6741 ff., Feng, Lin and Cheng et al. summarize the first successes achieved in polyphilic liquid crystals and rod–coil block systems. Special attention is paid to recent progress in the conjugation of rodlike building blocks with other molecular building blocks through the molecular Lego approach.