Transformation of isotropic fluid to nematic gel triggered by dynamic bridging of supramolecular nanocylinders

Abstract

We have synthesized an amphiphilic triblock coil-rod-coil molecule consisting of a rigid aromatic building block and poly(ethylene oxide). The coil-rod-coil molecule was observed to assemble into a cylindrical micelle structure in aqueous solution. Notably, addition of a small amount of a rod-coil-rod molecule into the cylindrical micellar solution can induce the anisotropic gelation due to dynamic interconnection of adjacent cylindrical micelles via hydrophobic and π-π interactions. Depending on the concentration of the rod-coil-rod molecule, the nematic gel can be reversibly switched into an isotropic solution of cylindrical micelles. Copyright © 2005 American Chemical Society.