Controlled self-assembly of helical nano-ribbons formed by achiral amphiphiles

Abstract

Helical nano-ribbons with a large aspect ratio were obtained through the self-assembly of an achiral amphiphile. The symmetry breaking is attributed to the orderly but twisted stacking of terpyridine groups. In addition, the morphology of the assemblies can be tuned by the coordination between terpyridine and Zn$^{2+}$ ion.

Guanglu Wu

Principal Investigator

Research interests: multi-component functional assemblies, noncovalent dimerization, supramolecular catalysis, and smart soft matter