Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Copper Nanoclusters Driven by Cationic Surfactants

Abstract

Amphiphilicity is an excellent physicochemical property, which is yet to be explored from traditional surfactants to nanoparticles. This article shows that the amphiphilicity of copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) can be readily tuned by electrostatic interactions with cationic surfactants and cetyltrimethylammonium cations (CTA + ) with counterions Br − , Cl − , and C 7 H 8 O 3 S − . Due to the role of surface ligands, the complexes of glutathione-capped CuNCs (GSH-CuNCs) and the surfactants exhibit good amphiphilicity, which enables them to self-assemble like a molecular amphiphile. This could significantly increase the utility of metal nanoclusters in basic and applied research. As the concentration of the surfactant changes, the aggregates change from nanoparticles to network-like structures. After the formation of supramolecular selfassemblies by hydrophobic interactions, the enhancement of fluorescence intensity was observed, which can be ascribed to the suppression of intramolecular vibrations based on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and combined with the compactness of GSH-CuNCs in self-assemblies. Our study provides a facile way to generate solid fluorescent materials with excellent fluorescence performance, which may find applications in light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Symmetry and Topology of Twin Boundaries and Five-Fold Twin Boundaries in Soft Crystals

“…Most cubosomes used in previous studies are formed predominantly from lipids and partly from block copolymers. We pioneered the design and subsequent synthesis of heterocluster Janus molecules (HCJMs) by tethering dissimilar nanoclusters [a polyoxometalate (POM) and a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)] using different organic linkers (Figure A). − We also developed an approach to self-assemble heterocluster Janus dumbbells into cubosomes with the double-diamond (DD) nanostructure owing to their amphiphilic characteristics originating from the difference in the solubility and immiscibility of the two types of clusters . They form truncated octahedra (Figure B,C) as equilibrium shapes and are constructed by a bilayer in which the POM layer is sandwiched between two POSS layers.…”

Solvent-Directed Transformation of the Self-assembly and Optical Property of a Peptide-Appended Core-Substituted Naphthelenediimide and Selective Detection of Nitrite Ions in an Aqueous Medium

“…An attempt has been made to disperse this molecule in water by encapsulating it into the hydrophobic core of a micelle. CTAB is a well-known cationic surfactant 64 and it forms micelles with a hydrophobic core in the water medium. 65 In the absence of CTAB, it is not possible to disperse the N1 in water as indicated by the colorless appearance of the water phase.…”

Self-Assembled Metal Nanoclusters: Driving Forces and Structural Correlation with Optical Properties

“…Pd NCs and PdS NCs self-assemble into rhombic/hexagonal platelet-like structures ( Figure 8 B) [ 87 ]. Hao et al, in their study, showed an enhancement of fluorescence intensity with the formation of self-assembled amphiphilic Cu NCs [ 88 ]. The amphiphilic complex of GSH-capped Cu NCs was prepared by electrostatic interaction and then assembled in an aqueous solution in the presence of a surfactant by rearranging the surface ligands.…”