Self-Assembly and Luminescence of Oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) Amphiphiles

James F. Hulvat,† Marina Sofos,† Keisuke Tajima,† and Samuel I. Stupp*†‡§
Contribution from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry, and Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005, 127 (1), pp 366–372
DOI: 10.1021/ja047210m
Publication Date (Web): December 3, 2004
Copyright © 2005 American Chemical Society
†

 Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

,
*

In papers with more than one author, the asterisk indicates the name of the author to whom inquiries about the paper should be addressed.

,
‡

 Department of Chemistry.

,
§

 Feinberg School of Medicine.

, s-stupp@northwestern.edu

Abstract

Abstract Image

We have synthesized a series of amphiphilic molecules consisting of oligo(phenylene vinylene) (OPV) asymmetrically end-substituted with a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segment and a hydrophobic alkyl chain. This amphiphilic structure induces self-assembly into both thermotropic and lyotropic lamellar liquid crystalline (LC) phases. The molecules form strongly fluorescent, self-supporting gels in both water and polar organic solvents, even at high concentrations on the order of 30 wt %. These self-assembled structures have been characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polarized optical microscopy (POM). Photoluminescence (PL) is influenced by the structure of the material, with enhanced emission in the LC state due to assembly of the chromophore in confined two-dimensional layers. Self-assembly controlling molecular aggregation at the nanoscale could significantly improve the performance of OPV-based materials in optoelectronic devices.

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History

  • Published In Issue January 12, 2005
  • Received May 12, 2004

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