Nanorings from the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecular dumbbells

We have prepared amphiphilic dumbbell molecules consisting of hydrophobic alkyl chains and hydrophilic oligoether dendrons at each end of the rod segment. The molecular dumbbells, in aqueous solution, self-assemble into toroids as an intermediate nanostructure between spherical and long cylindrical micelles. The formation of toroidal structure is likely to originate from side by side connections of discrete bundles through the combination of strong hydrophobic interactions and anisotropic aggregation of rod segments.