Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
One-step multicomponent self-assembly of a first-generation Sierpiński triangle: from fractal design to chemical
Rajarshi Sarkar1, Kai Guo, Charles N Moorefield
1Departments of Polymer Science and Chemistry, The Maurice Morton Institute for Polymer Science, The University of Akron, 302 Buchtel Common, Akron, OH 44325 (USA) http://www.dendrimers.com.
Abstract:
A novel terpyridine-based architecture that mimics a first-generation Sierpiński triangle has been synthesized by multicomponent assembly and features tpy-Cd(II)-tpy connectivity (tpy=terpyridine). The key terpyridine ligands were synthesized by the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction. Mixing two different terpyridine-based ligands and Cd(II) in a precise stoichiometric ratio (1:1:3) produced the desired fractal architecture in near-quantitative yield. Characterization was accomplished by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy.
Related Concept Videos
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Protein Complex Assembly
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...

