Aggregation Kinetics of Macrocycles Detected by Magnetic Birefringence

We have used magnetic-field-induced birefringence as a new sensitive technique to probe the aggregation kinetics of macrocyclic molecules in solution. We have found three consecutive aggregation stages: disordered objects, ordered fibers, and a network. The transition from disordered objects to orde...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 131; no. 40; pp. 14134 - 14135
Main Authors Gielen, Jeroen C, Ver Heyen, An, Klyatskaya, Svetlana, Vanderlinden, Willem, Höger, Sigurd, Maan, J. C, De Feyter, Steven, Christianen, Peter C. M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Chemical Society 14.10.2009
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:We have used magnetic-field-induced birefringence as a new sensitive technique to probe the aggregation kinetics of macrocyclic molecules in solution. We have found three consecutive aggregation stages: disordered objects, ordered fibers, and a network. The transition from disordered objects to ordered fibers is found to be slow, taking days or weeks to complete. We attribute this to the molecular tails of the macrocycles, which hamper fiber formation. We anticipate that linking aggregation kinetics to molecular properties will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms by which molecules self-assemble, allowing for a more rational design of the molecular building blocks.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0002-7863
1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/ja904816m