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Planar Anchoring of C 70 Liquid Crystals Using a Covalent Organic Framework Template
Author(s) -
Cui Daling,
MacLeod Jennifer M.,
Rosei Federico
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201903294
Subject(s) - scanning tunneling microscope , liquid crystal , materials science , anchoring , covalent bond , molecule , nanotechnology , planar , crystallography , chemical physics , organic chemistry , chemistry , optoelectronics , computer graphics (images) , structural engineering , computer science , engineering
The surface‐induced anchoring effect is a well‐developed technique to control the growth of liquid crystals (LCs). Nevertheless, a defined nanometer‐scale template has never been used to induce the anchored growth of LCs with molecular building units. Scanning tunneling microscopy results at the solid/liquid interface reveal that a 2D covalent organic framework (COF‐1) can offer an anchoring effect to template C 70 molecules into forming several LC mesophases, which cannot be obtained under other conditions. Through comparison with the C 60 system, a stepwise breakdown in ordering of C 70 LC is observed. The process is described in terms of the effects of molecular anisotropy on the epitaxial growth of molecular crystals. The results suggest that using a surface‐confined template to anchor the initial layer of LC molecules can be a modular and potentially broadly applicable approach for organizing molecular mesogens into LCs.