Symmetry breaking in the self-assembly of partially fluorinated benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamides.

The interplay of two subsequent aggregation processes results in a symmetry-breaking phenomenon in an achiral self-assembling system. Partially fluorinated benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide molecules self-assemble into a racemic mixture of one-dimensional P- and M-helical aggregates, followed by bundling into optically active higher-order aggregates or fibers.

Helical self-assembly and co-assembly of fluorinated, preorganized discotics.

The synthesis and self-assembly properties of a fluorinated C(3)-symmetrical 3,3'-bis(acylamino)-2,2'-bipyridine discotic (1) in the mesophase and in solution are described. First, 3,4,5-tris-(1H,1H,2H,2H,3H,3H-perfluoroundecyl-1-oxy)benzoyl chloride was coupled to mono-t-BOC protected 2,2'-bipyridine-3,3'-diamine to afford after deprotection the corresponding fluorinated aromatic amine on a multigram scale. Then, three-fold reaction of this amine with trimesyl chloride yielded the target C(3)-symmetrical fluorinated disc. The latter displayed columnar liquid crystallinity over a temperature range of more than 350 K in which helical rectangular and hexagonal columnar mesophases were detected by X-ray diffraction measurements. (1)H-NMR spectroscopy showed a preorganized structure due to strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the amide N-H's and bipyridine nitrogen atoms, even in the presence of a large excess of hexafluoroisopropanol. This preorganized structure allows the formation of helical self-assemblies in fluorinated solvents, as was established using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The fluorinated disc and two chiral hydrocarbon analogues (a C(3)-symmetrical and a desymmetrized disc) were mixed in a 1:10 v:v mixture of methoxynonafluorobutane (MNFB) and 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane (Freon 113). Importantly, the C(3)-symmetrical hydrocarbon disc dissolves only in the presence of fluorinated disc in the latter solvent mixture, proving a mutual interaction. CD spectroscopy performed on these mixtures points to a preference for alternating self-assemblies of fluorinated and chiral hydrocarbon discotics.

Polar switching in trialkylbenzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamides.

The hydrogen-bonded hexagonal columnar LC (Col(hd)) phases formed by benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA) derivatives can be aligned uniformly by an electric field and display switching behavior with a high remnant polarization. The polar switching in three symmetrically substituted BTAs with alkyl chains varying in length between 6 and 18 carbon atoms (C6, C10, and C18) was investigated by electro-optical switching experiments, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS), and solid-state NMR. The goal was to characterize ferroelectric properties of BTA-based columnar LCs, which display a macroscopic axial dipole moment due to the head-to-tail stacking of hydrogen-bonded amides. The Col(hd) phase of all three BTAs can be aligned uniformly by a dc field ∼30 V/µm. Moreover, C10 and C18 display extrinsic polar switching characterized by a remnant polarization and coercive field of 1-2 µC/cm(2) and 20-30 V/µm, respectively. In the absence of an external field, the polarization is lost in 1-1000 s, depending on device details and temperature. DRS revealed a columnar glass transition in the low-temperature region of the LC phase related to collective vibrations in the hydrogen-bonded columns that freeze out below 41-54 °C. At higher temperatures, a relaxation process is present originating from the collective reorientation of amide groups along the column axis (inversion of the macrodipole). Matching activation energies suggest that the molecular mechanism underlying the polar switching and the R-processes is identical. These results illustrate that LC phases based on BTAs offer the unique possibility to integrate polarization with other functionalities in a single nanostructured material.

Remnant polarization in thin films from a columnar liquid crystal.

Ferroelectric switching is demonstrated in a hydrogen bonded columnar liquid crystalline (LC) material. Polar order induced in the LC phase can be frozen by crystallization of the alkyl chains in the periphery of the columns yielding thin films with remnant polarization and an unprecedented high surface potential as shown by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy.

Thermotropic phase behavior of trialkyl cyclohexanetriamides.

The thermotropic phase behavior of symmetric cyclohexanetriamides carrying various linear and branched alkyl chains was investigated using calorimetry, microscopy, solid-state NMR, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, and X-ray scattering techniques. Cyclohexanetriamides carrying C(6) or longer linear alkyl chains formed columnar plastic phases with a pseudocentered rectangular lattice. Those with C(8) or longer alkyl chain also showed a nematic liquid crystalline phase. Cyclohexanetriamides carrying branched octyl chains displayed columnar phases with rectangular lattices, except for the triamide with the highly branched tetramethylbutyl group. The occurrence of less symmetrical columnar phases is ascribed to the mode of stacking of cyclohexanetriamides which leads to noncylindrical columns. Dielectric relaxation spectra also featured highly cooperative relaxation processes related to reorientation of the macrodipolar columns in the mesophase, showing the potential of these molecules as building blocks in responsive materials.

The influence of ethylene glycol chains on the thermodynamics of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular assemblies in apolar solvents.

Substitution of hydrogen bond directed supramolecular assemblies with ethylene glycol chains leads to a reduction in the association constant in apolar solvents, where the reduction of the association constant is dependent on the length of the aliphatic spacer connecting the hydrogen bonds and the ethylene glycol chain.

Mechanical properties of single electrospun collagen type I fibers.

The mechanical properties of single electrospun collagen fibers were investigated using scanning mode bending tests performed with an AFM. Electrospun collagen fibers with diameters ranging from 100 to 600 nm were successfully produced by electrospinning of an 8% w/v solution of acid soluble collagen in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFP). Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy showed that 45% of the triple helical structure of collagen molecules was denatured in the electrospun fibers. The electrospun fibers were water soluble and became insoluble after cross-linking with glutaraldehyde vapor for 24h. The bending moduli and shear moduli of both non- and cross-linked single electrospun collagen fibers were determined by scanning mode bending tests after depositing the fibers on glass substrates containing micro-channels. The bending moduli of the electrospun fibers ranged from 1.3 to 7.8 GPa at ambient conditions and ranged from 0.07 to 0.26 MPa when immersed in PBS buffer. As the diameter of the fibrils increased, a decrease in bending modulus was measured clearly indicating mechanical anisotropy of the fiber. Cross-linking of the electrospun fibers with glutaraldehyde vapor increased the shear modulus of the fiber from approximately 30 to approximately 50 MPa at ambient conditions.

Mechanical properties of native and cross-linked type I collagen fibrils.

Micromechanical bending experiments using atomic force microscopy were performed to study the mechanical properties of native and carbodiimide-cross-linked single collagen fibrils. Fibrils obtained from a suspension of insoluble collagen type I isolated from bovine Achilles tendon were deposited on a glass substrate containing microchannels. Force-displacement curves recorded at multiple positions along the collagen fibril were used to assess the bending modulus. By fitting the slope of the force-displacement curves recorded at ambient conditions to a model describing the bending of a rod, bending moduli ranging from 1.0 GPa to 3.9 GPa were determined. From a model for anisotropic materials, the shear modulus of the fibril is calculated to be 33 +/- 2 MPa at ambient conditions. When fibrils are immersed in phosphate-buffered saline, their bending and shear modulus decrease to 0.07-0.17 GPa and 2.9 +/- 0.3 MPa, respectively. The two orders of magnitude lower shear modulus compared with the Young's modulus confirms the mechanical anisotropy of the collagen single fibrils. Cross-linking the collagen fibrils with a water-soluble carbodiimide did not significantly affect the bending modulus. The shear modulus of these fibrils, however, changed to 74 +/- 7 MPa at ambient conditions and to 3.4 +/- 0.2 MPa in phosphate-buffered saline.

Molecular assessment of the elastic properties of collagen-like homotrimer sequences.

Knowledge of the mechanical behavior of collagen molecules is critical for understanding the mechanical properties of collagen fibrils that constitute the main architectural building block of a number of connective tissues. In this study, the elastic properties of four different type I collagen 30-residue long molecular sequences, were studied by performing stretching simulations using the molecular mechanics approach. The energy-molecular length relationship was achieved by means of the geometry optimization procedure for collagen molecule strains up to 10%. The energy was interpolated by a second order function, and the second order of the derivative with respect to the mean length corresponded to the molecule stiffness. According to the hypothesis of linear elastic behavior, except for one sequence, the elastic modulus was around 2.40 GPa. These values are larger than fibril values, and they confirm the hypothesis that tendon mechanical properties are deeply related to tendon hierarchical structure. A possible explanation of the lowest values obtained for one sequence (1.33-1.53 GPa) is provided and discussed.