Issue 19, 2018

Molecular organizations of conical mesogenic fullerenes

Abstract

We have studied liquid crystal phases formed by fullerenes functionalized with mesogenic groups yielding a cone-shaped molecular structure. We have modelled these shuttlecock-like molecules with a set of Gay–Berne particles grafted with flexible springs to a spherical core and we have studied, using Monte Carlo simulations, their phase organization, also with a view to examining their possible use as candidate organic photovoltaic materials. We have found that, upon cooling from the isotropic phase, the system forms a columnar phase, like in the experimental work of Kato and coworkers [T. Kato et al., Nature, 2002, 419, 702]. However the phase is made of polar stacks extending not more than about ten molecules, which could limit their usefulness in enhancing and directing charge transport for possible photovoltaic applications.

Graphical abstract: Molecular organizations of conical mesogenic fullerenes

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Dec 2017
Accepted
06 Apr 2018
First published
10 Apr 2018

Soft Matter, 2018,14, 3882-3888

Molecular organizations of conical mesogenic fullerenes

S. Orlandi and C. Zannoni, Soft Matter, 2018, 14, 3882 DOI: 10.1039/C7SM02459B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements