Nowadays supramolecular polymers are studied for a wide range of applications such as biomaterials and organic electronics. They represent a unique and promising class of materials whose functions derive from the dynamic intermolecular interactions that hold the monomers together. Lately, it has been demonstrated that the self-organization of supramolecular polymers resulting in a good control over the material morphology can improve the performances of organic electronic materials. Control over the organization can be achieved applying a supramolecular approach on semiconductive aromatic cores. We present two classes of C3-symmetrical triarylamine-trisamides that self-assemble in apolar solvents into chiral supramolecular polymers via cooperative hydrogen-bonding interactions. Variable temperature spectroscopic measurements highlighted the presence of two self-assembled states of opposite handedness. The pathway complexity of these systems has been analyzed and assigned to conformational flexibility in the triarylamine cores. Currently, the rich supramolecular landscape and the supramolecular chirality are exploited as a tool in versatile functional materials for ferroelectric devices, chiral OLEDs and water-splitting solar cells. Recently, we shown that having control over the chirality of the dyes in water-splitting Dye Synthesized Solar Cells (DSSCs) dramatically improves the performances of the water-oxidation process. Imposing spin-selection through Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity effect (CISS effect) by coating the anode with chiral supramolecular semiconductors strongly suppresses the hydrogen-peroxide formation while the overall current through the cell is enhanced. Additionally, we intend to enhance the properties of more complex systems tuning the insertion of different monomers along the supramolecular chain. The possibility to achieve sequence controlled 1D supramolecular copolymers can be the key to obtain morphologically ordered functional materials with tunable properties.

Chiral triarylamine-based supramolecular polymers: From pathway complexity to functional materials

254th National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.