Impact of a subtle structural difference on the kinetic behavior of metastable supramolecular assemblies

Publication date: 16 October 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 128
Author(s): Tomoya Fukui, Masayuki Takeuchi, Kazunori Sugiyasu
Molecular self-assembly under kinetic control has many opportunities leading to novel phenomena and applications. However, a mechanistic insight into the intricate kinetic behavior is still lacking. Herein, we demonstrate that even a subtle change in the molecular structure affects the kinetic behavior of metastable supramolecular assembles. Interestingly, the kinetic process influenced the size of the final outcomes (in this study, nanosheet structures) in a manner opposite to that predicted by the thermodynamic model. Our findings illustrate the difference between thermodynamically and kinetically controlled molecular self-assemblies. We believe that this study will expand the potential applications of molecular self-assemblies.

Graphical abstract

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