Hierarchically Organized Honeycomb Films Based on the Self-Assembly of Fulleromonodendrons

Abstract

We report the preparation of honeycomb structures (HCSs) by the breath figure method with high contents of fullerene C60 (>60 wt %) with a series of monosubstituted C60 derivatives (fulleromonodendrons) terminated with oligo-poly­(ethylene oxide) (o-PEO) chains. It was found that a fulleromonodendron with two terminal o-PEO chains substituted at the 2,4-position of the benzene ring is the best candidate for the preparation of HCSs. The C60-based HCSs have hierarchically organized pores locating both on the film surface and inside the film. After blending with branched or linear polystyrene, the surface morphology and the internal structure of the film were further optimized. In addition, new functions such as photoluminescence have been introduced to the film. On the basis of the investigation of the aggregation behavior of the fulleromonodendron in CHCl3 as well as the exploration of the molecular organization and optical and electrochemical properties of the HCSs, the mechanism behind the film formation has been deduced. These hierarchically organized porous films with unprecedentedly high content of fullerene C60 may find applications in sensors, catalysis, and template synthesis of functional materials.

Effect of polar groups of polystyrenes on the self‐assembly of breath figure arrays

“…Since the first report of condensing droplets by Lord Rayleigh in 1911, 17 the BF method uses volatile solvents to induce vapor condensation, leaving porous imprints after the total evaporation of solvents and droplets. The stability of water droplets and their rearrangement by Marangoni convection and thermocapillary force ensure the formation of honeycomb patterns 18–31 …”

“…The stability of water droplets and their rearrangement by Marangoni convection and thermocapillary force ensure the formation of honeycomb patterns. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Up to now, a lot of polymers with different topological structures have been investigated in the BF process, including star-shaped polymers, 18,32,33 dendrimers, 34 comb-like polymers, 35 rod-coil block copolymers, 36,37 and linear polymers. [38][39][40][41][42][43] Apart from topology, the chemical composition of polymers also shows great impact on their self-assembly behavior.…”

Paper-Based SERS Sensing Platform Based on 3D Silver Dendrites and Molecularly Imprinted Identifier Sandwich Hybrid for Neonicotinoid Quantification

“…Figure S1A1 shows the condition of the droplet touching the SD chip for 2 s, and the contact angles were 75.42° (left) and 74.64° (right). Since the surface was riddled with dendritic silver, combined with the surface structure information in Figure B,C, it could be assumed that the pyknotic and porous structure of SDs made the droplet on the interface have relatively large surface tension, which may be partly similar to the surface property of the honeycomb porous structured membrane . Hence, when the droplet was just in contact with the chip surface, it exhibited hydrophobic properties.…”

“…Since the surface was riddled with dendritic silver, combined with the surface structure information in Figure 1B,C, it could be assumed that the pyknotic and porous structure of SDs made the droplet on the interface have relatively large surface tension, which may be partly similar to the surface property of the honeycomb porous structured membrane. 39 Hence, when the droplet was just in contact with the chip surface, it exhibited hydrophobic properties. Because there were cracks and pores between the silver dendrites, when the droplets infiltrated into the paper substrate after 10 s, the contact angle became smaller (Figure S1A2, left: 35.3°, right: 35.7°).…”

Fabrication of Adsorption‐Type Hierarchical Functional Films by Using a Facile Swollen Based Breath Figure Method

“…However, these honeycomb-structured microdomains are primary microporous structures and are predominantly available in low availability, severely hampering their applications where multiple forms of hierarchical microporous materials with high availability are desired. [31][32][33] Therefore, hierarchically organized honeycomb-structured microdomains become a new emerging challenge with development in this field.…”