Browsing by Author "Lotz, Bernard"

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A Supramolecular "Double-Cable" Structure with a 129(44) Helix in a Columnar Porphyrin-C-60 Dyad and its Application in Polymer Solar Cells
(2012-11-01)
Wang, Chien-Lung
;
Zhang, Wen-Bin
;
Sun, Hao-Jan
;
Van Horn, Ryan M.
;
Kulkarni, Rahul R.
A novel porphyrin-C-60 dyad (PCD1) is designed and synthesized to investigate and manipulate the supramolecular structure where geometrically isotropic [such as [60]fullerene (C-60)] and anisotropic [such as porphyrin (Por)] units coexist. It is observed that PCD1 possesses an enantiomeric phase behavior. The melting temperature of the stable PCD1 thermotropic phase is 160 degrees C with a latent heat (Delta H) of 18.5 kJ mol(-1). The phase formation is majorly driven by the cooperative intermolecular PorPor and C60C60 interactions. Structural analysis reveals that this stable phase possesses a supramolecular double-cable structure with one p-type Por core columnar channel and three helical n-type C-60 peripheral channels. These double-cable columns further pack into a hexagonal lattice with a = b = 4.65 nm, c = 41.3 nm, alpha = beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 120 degrees. The column repeat unit is determined to possess a 129(44) helix. With both donor (D; Pro) and acceptor (A; C-60) units having their own connecting channels as well as the large D/A interface within the supramoleculassr double-cable structure, PCD1 has photogenerated carriers with longer lifetimes compared to the conventional electron acceptor [6,6]-phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester. A phase-separated columnar morphology is observed in a bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) material made by the physical blend of a low band-gap conjugated polymer, [poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta [2,1-b;3,4-b']-dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothia-diazole)] (PCPDTBT), and PCD1. With a specific phase structure in the solid state and in the blend, PCD1 is shown to be a promising candidate as a new electron acceptor in high performance BHJ polymer solar cells.
Handedness of Twisted Lamella in Banded Spherulite of Chiral Polylactides and Their Blends
(2017-07-25)
Wang, Hsiao-Fang
;
Chiang, Chen-Hung
;
Hsu, Wen-Chun
;
Wen, Tao
;
Chuang, Wei-Tsung
Banded spherulite resulting from lamellar twisting due to the imbalanced stresses at opposite fold surfaces can be formed by isothermal crystallization of chiral polylactide and its blends with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Using a polarized light microscope, the handedness of the twisted lamella in banded spherulite is determined. With the same growth axis along the radial direction as evidenced by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) for isothermally crystallized samples at different temperatures, the twisted lamellae of chiral polylactides (poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA)) display opposite handedness. The split-type Cotton effect on the Co=O stretching motion of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra helps determine the helix handedness (i.e., conformational chirality). The results indicate that the conformational chirality can be defined by the molecular chirality through intramolecular chiral interactions. Moreover, the preferred sense of the lamellar twist in the banded spherulite corresponds to the twisting direction identified by the C-O-C vibration motion of VCD spectra, reflecting the role of intermolecular chiral interactions in the packing of polylactide helices. Similar results are obtained in the blends of chiral polylactides and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, a polymer compatible with polylactide), indicating that the impact of chirality is intrinsic irrespective of the specific crystallization conditions. In contrast to the chiral polylactides, the spectrum of the crystalline stereocomplex that associates PLLA and PDLA shows VCD silence. The spectroscopic results are in line with the morphological observations. No banded spherulites are observed in the stereocomplex crystallites due to the symmetric packing of mirror L and D-chain conformations in the fold surfaces and the crystallites core.
Phase behaviour and Janus hierarchical supramolecular structures based on asymmetric tapered bisamide
(2012)
Sun, Hao-Jan
;
Wang, Chien-Lung
;
Hsieh, I-Fan
;
Hsu, Chih-Hao
;
Van Horn, Ryan M.
A precisely defined molecular Janus compound based on asymmetric tapered 1,4-bis[3,4,5-tris(alkan-1-yloxy) benzamido] benzene bisamide (abbreviated as C(22)PhBAEO(3)) was designed and synthesized, and its phase behavior was fully investigated. The C(22)PhBAEO(3) compound possesses a rigid core with three aromatic rings connected with amide bonds which possess the ability to form hydrogen (H) bonds. Three hydrophobic alkyl flexible tails and three hydrophilic flexible methyl terminated triethylene glycol tails are located at the other end. Major phase transitions and their origins in C(22)PhBAEO(3) were studied via DSC and 1D WAXD techniques. Its hierarchical supramolecular crystal structure was further identified through combined techniques of 2D WAXD and SAXS as well as SAED. Results based on computer simulations confirmed the structure determination. It was found that the C(22)PhBAEO(3) possesses three phases through various thermal treatments including a micro-phase separated columnar liquid crystal (col.) phase, a metastable crystal I phase and a stable crystal II phase. Among them, the crystal II phase showed that the columnar structure possesses 3D inter-column order and highly crystalline alkyl tails with a long-range overall orientational order. Four C(22)PhBAEO(3) molecules self-assembled into a phase-separated disc with an ellipsoidal shape having a C-2 symmetry along the disc normal. These discs then stacked on top of each other to generate a 1D asymmetric column through H-bonding, and further packed into a 3D long-range ordered monoclinic lattice. The unit cell parameters of this lattice were determined to be a = 5.08 nm, b = 2.41 nm, c = 0.98 nm, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees, and gamma = 70.5 degrees. The alkyl chain tails crystallize within the hydrophobic layers and possess a relatively fixed orientation with respect to the column packing due to the selective interactions based on the hydrophobic/hydrophilic microphase separation. Both phase behaviour and unit cell structure showed significant difference compared with the symmetrically tapered counterparts. The results provided a new approach of fine-tuning not only in the Janus supramolecular structures but also in the formation pathway of the self-assembling process in order to meet the specific requirements for optical and biological applications.