Issue 5, 2019

A self-recovering mechanochromic chiral π-gelator

Abstract

Mechanochromism is a stress induced perturbation of electronic property in molecular materials. It is shown here that the presence of a branched chiral chain facilitates mechanochromic response in a molecular assembly as illustrated with a chiral oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) derived π-gelator (OPVC). OPVC exhibits a reversible mechanochromism while the analogous achiral derivative (OPVA) having a linear side chain does not, as established from the fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) studies. The helically twisted chromophore packing in OPVC allows mechanical reorganization of the self-assembly and the associated fluorescence intensity variation at different wavelength positions in the broad emission spectrum, resulting in a perturbation in the colour ratio leading to the observed mechanochromic emission color change. This exciting new finding may have wide ranging implications in the design of stimuli responsive molecular materials with reversible optical properties.

Graphical abstract: A self-recovering mechanochromic chiral π-gelator

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 out 2018
Accepted
04 jan 2019
First published
05 jan 2019

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2019,7, 1292-1297

A self-recovering mechanochromic chiral π-gelator

K. K. Kartha, V. S. Nair, V. K. Praveen, M. Takeuchi and A. Ajayaghosh, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2019, 7, 1292 DOI: 10.1039/C8TC05159C

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