Assembling highly-branched molecules and nanostructured materials

We discuss recent developments on synthesis, fabrication, and characterization of nanostructured interfaces from polyelectrolytes and highly-branched multifunctional molecules and materials. First, free standing nanocomposite structures were fabricated with layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly from conjugated polyelectrolytes and inorganic nanoparticles¹. To this end, we discuss conjugated LbL films², perforated nanoscale films³, and 2D porous SERS substrates⁴. Second, we summarize our recent studies of highly branched molecules with multifunctional branched architectures. Here, we show the formation one-dimensional molecular structures from hyperbranched polyol amphiphiles⁵, peculiar star-shaped aggregates from rod-coil phenylbenzoate molecules⁶, star molecules as wraps for gold-silver nanocobs as 1D Raman markers⁷; and amorphous monolayers from amphiphilic bithiophene monodendrons with high quantum yield⁸.
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1 C. Jiang, V. V. Tsukruk, Adv. Mater., 2006, 18, 829.
2 Y. H. Lin, et. al. Adv. Mater., 2007, 19, 3827.
3 D. Zimnitsky, V. V. Shevchenko, V. V. Tsukruk, Langmuir, 2008, 24, 5996.
4 H. Ko, S. Singamaneni, V. V. Tsukruk, Small, 2008, 4, 1576.
5 M. Ornatska, et. al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004, 126, 9675.
6 K. L. Genson, et. al. NanoLett. 2006, 6, 435.
7 R. Gunawidjaja, et. al. Adv. Mater. 2008, 20, 1544.
8 R. Gunawidjaja, et. al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2008, submitted

For more information contact Dr. Kyril Solntsev (404-385-3117) or Prof. Laren Tolbert (404-894-4093).