Molecular‐Curvature‐Induced Spontaneous Formation of Curved and Concentric Lamellae through Nucleation

AbstractSpontaneous formation of concentric lamellae was observed in self‐assembling giant surfactants consisting of a fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (FPOSS) head and flexible polymer tail(s). Owing to the asymmetrical sizes of the head and tail blocks and the rectangular molecular interface, the giant surfactants assumed a truncated‐wedge‐like molecular shape, which induced morphological curvature during self‐assembly, thus resulting in the formation of curved and concentric lamellae. These curved/concentric lamellae were observed in FPOSS‐based giant surfactants with different architectures and compositions. The spontaneous curvature formation not only promotes our fundamental understanding of assembly principles, but also provides a promising and efficient approach to the fabrication of a wide range of high‐performance devices.

Molecular‐Curvature‐Induced Spontaneous Formation of Curved and Concentric Lamellae through Nucleation Journal Articles