FINAL MASTER PROJECT PROPOSAL

Title Development of responsive nanostructured supramolecular materials based on bent-core molecules Supervisor(s) M. Blanca Ros Latienda Summary of the project Objective: Preparation and characterization of nanostructured supramolecular materials from responsive bent-core amphiphiles by self-assembling methodologies. Motivation: To control the self-assembly of small molecules to generate functional materials, using the supramolecular chemistry approach is a very challenging and dynamic research field.

In this purpose soft-materials and nanoobjects with diverse morphologies, with shape and structure that can influence the physical properties, are demanded due to their realized and potential applications in state-of-the-art areas varying from nanotechnology to biotechnology.[1] However many of these nanostructured systems are still tricky to prepare and control, even more from water that it could give rise to breakthroughs in biological, medical, and materials science as well as a solution for environmental issues. In spite of the very attractive results there are few studies concerning self-assembly of responsive bent-core molecules in solution,[2] even though their liquid crystals properties have been broadly explored with many interesting results.[3] In this project we aim pioneering advances on the bent-core packing to generate responsive nanostructured materials in bulk and in solvents all with many attractive possibilities. Activities: The research will involve the synthesis of responsive bent-core amphiphilic molecules forming supramolecular organizations tunable on the nanoscale (liquid crystals, nanoobjets and gels), either as nanostructured aggregates in variety solvents or in mesophase. Full characterization of the molecular and supramolecular structures will be carried out by using techniques ranging from spectroscopy (UV-vis, FTIR, NMR, EM, DC), calorimetry (TGA and DSC), microscopies (POM, SEM and TEM) to powder X-ray diffraction. References: [1] a) S. I. Stupp et al., Chem. Mater. 2014, 26, 507. b) S. Sevin et al., Chem. Soc. Rev., 2018, 47,3788. c) T. Kato et al., Angew.Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57,4355. d) M. Martinez-Abadía et al., Adv. Mater. 2018, 30, 1704161. [2] M. B. Ros et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 13449. [3] a) R. A. Reddy, C. Tschierske, J. Mater. Chem. 2006, 16, 907. b) J. Etxebarria, M. B. Ros, J. Mater. Chem., 2008,18, 2919.

1 µm 500 nm