Photomodulated Self-Assembly of Hydrophobic Thiol Monolayer-Protected Gold Nanorods and Their Alignment in Thermotropic Liquid Crystal
Xue, C; Gutierrez-Cuevas, K; Gao, Min; Urbas, A; Li, Q
| HERO ID | 3575972 |
|---|---|
| In Press | No |
| Year | 2013 |
| Title | Photomodulated Self-Assembly of Hydrophobic Thiol Monolayer-Protected Gold Nanorods and Their Alignment in Thermotropic Liquid Crystal |
| Authors | Xue, C; Gutierrez-Cuevas, K; Gao, Min; Urbas, A; Li, Q |
| Journal | Journal of Physical Chemistry C |
| Volume | 117 |
| Issue | 41 |
| Page Numbers | 21603-21608 |
| Abstract | Three terminal thiols possessing azobenzene and perylene diimide (PDI) segments covalently linked by alkylene spacers of different lengths (PnSH, n = 4, 6, and 8) were synthesized to stabilize and functionalize gold nanorods (GNRs) via strong covalent Au-S bonds onto the gold surface. The resulting hydrophobic thiol monolayer-protected GNRs (P(n)GNRs) were stable in both organic solvent and the solid state and exhibited fascinating photoresponsive self-assembly behavior. The PDI moieties provided pi-pi interactions to promote GNR self-assemblies while the photoresponsive azobenzene moieties offered a way to phototune the assemblies in a reversible manner. Interestingly, when P(n)GNRs were mixed with a structurally similar room-temperature thermotropic liquid-crystal perylene diimide (LCP), the UV-irradiated P(n)GNRs showed more compatibility with the LCP host than their corresponding unirradiated ones. Furthermore, the P(n)GNRs with varied alkylene chain lengths showed different dispersion abilities in LCP. The UV-irradiated P(4)GNRs did not disperse well in LCP, whereas the UV-irradiated P(6)GNRs and P(8)GNRs dispersed well in LCP and were further aligned upon mechanical shearing. In addition, preliminary molecular simulation was performed to explain this interesting photomodulated self-assembly of the GNRs. |
| Doi | 10.1021/jp408081q |
| Wosid | WOS:000326125800064 |
| Is Certified Translation | No |
| Dupe Override | No |
| Is Public | Yes |