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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Synthesis and Exfoliation of Discotic Zirconium Phosphates to Obtain Colloidal Liquid Crystals
Published on: May 25, 2016
Highly stable 3,4,9,10-perylenediimide radical anions immobilized in robust zirconium phosphonate self-assembled
Rodrigo O Marcon1, Sergio Brochsztain
1Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Bioquímica, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza 200, Mogi das Cruzes-SP 08780-911, Brazil.
Abstract:
Self-assembled thin films of 3,4,9,10-perylenediimides (PDIs) containing up to 50 PDI layers were grown on quartz slides using the zirconium phosphonate technique. When the films were immersed in aqueous solutions of the sodium dithionite reducing agent, in situ reduction of the dye was observed, generating a purple film containing PDI radical anions. The PDI radical anions formed within the films were rather stable, persisting for several minutes in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that the film surface was rather smooth and pinhole-free.
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