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Colin Nuckolls

Publications and source records attributed to Colin Nuckolls.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Molecular interactions in one-dimensional organic nanostructures.

Intermolecular interactions involving pi-pi interaction and hydrogen bonding are used to create one-dimensional molecular nanostructures of hexasubstituted aromatics. Site-selective steady state fluorescence, time-resolved fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy measurements detail the intermolecular interactions that drive the aromatic molecules to self-assemble in solution to form well-ordered columnar stacks. These nanostructures, formed in solution, vary in their number, size, and structure depending on the solvent used. In addition, our results indicate that the substituents/ side groups and the proper choice of the solvent can be used to tune the intermolecular interactions. The 1D stacks and their aggregates can be easily transferred by solution casting, thus allowing a simple preparation of molecular nanostructures on different surfaces.

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PubMed2003

Synthesis, assembly, and thin film transistors of dihydrodiazapentacene: an isostructural motif for pentacene.

The study below details the synthesis, assembly, and thin film transistors from dihydrodiazapentacenes. These molecules have the same molecular shape as pentacene but are much easier to prepare and have much greater environmental stability. Thin films made from the dihydrodiazapentacene behave as field effect transistors with mobilities and on/off ratios high enough to be useful in certain applications. X-ray diffraction and AFM experiments on these films show that the molecules stack in layers with their long axis upright from the surface. Some of the derivatives synthesized for this study have unexpectedly high solubility in polar solvents such as DMF and DMSO. The crystal structure from DMF reveals self-assembled channels with each of the aniline functionalities forming a hydrogen bond with solvent. In more nonpolar solvents, the solid-state assembly switches to a herringbone motif characteristic of the linear acenes.

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PubMed2003

Synthesis, self-assembly, and switching of one-dimensional nanostructures from new crowded aromatics.

This study outlines a versatile and expeditious synthesis of the first derivatives of a new class of benzene that is substituted with both three amide and three alkyne substituents. Sparsely covered monolayer films, made through spin-casting, reveal one-dimensional nanostructures that can be visualized with atomic force microscopy. In bulk, synchrotron X-ray diffraction and polarized light microscopy show that these nanostructured columns assemble further into a two-dimensional liquid crystalline phase. The birefringence of this phase can be switched by application of an electric field. The half-time for the liquid crystalline phase to switch is very fast and proportional to the applied voltage.

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PubMed2003

Cruciform pi-systems for molecular electronics applications.

This study details a modular and general synthesis of a new class of molecules consisting of cruciform pi-systems. The key to synthesizing these molecules was an unprecedented double Staudinger cyclization. Once formed, these rigid compounds assemble into ordered monolayer films on metal and metal oxide surfaces to orient their conjugated, bis-phenyloxazole subunits upright. This surface orientation is enforced by the external phenyl substituents that are out of the ring plane, thus preventing the prone conformation.

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PubMed2003

A folded, secondary structure in step-growth oligomers from covalently linked, crowded aromatics.

This study delineates general methods to create a new class of folded oligomers by covalently attaching overcrowded aromatics to each other. Crucial to observing the secondary structure in these oligomers was the employment of C-shaped linkers. These linkers preorganize the strands to form intramolecular hydrogen bonds. In solution, one- and two-dimensional (1)H NMR data show well-defined columnar conformations. The side chains in these oligomers are critical for the secondary structure to emerge in solution. Using tris(dodecyloxy)phenethyl side chains in combination with tert-butyl side chains in the terminal subunit provides a soluble trimer and prevents intermolecular association above millimolar concentrations. This new folding motif, formed through a synergy between hydrogen bonds and pi-stacking, is so robust that even dimers have secondary structure in solution.

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PubMed2002

Tuning intermolecular attraction to create polar order and one-dimensional nanostructures on surfaces.

This study utilizes atomic force microscopy and electrostatic force microscopy to investigate the orientation of overcrowded aromatics in films with submonolayer coverage. The results demonstrate that the side chains in the molecules can be used as a tool to control the molecular order and orientation in thin films. For molecules that do not self-associate well, the interaction with the substrate dominates, and the molecules orient with their aromatic planes parallel to the surface. These monolayers have measurable polar order. For molecules that self-associate well, the opposite orientation is observed. These films are comprised of isolated stacks of molecules parallel to the surface.

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