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Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
Self-Assembly-Induced Ultrafast Photodriven Charge Separation in Perylene-3,4-dicarboximide-Based Hydrogen-Bonded
Kelly M Lefler1, Dick T Co1, Michael R Wasielewski1
1Department of Chemistry and Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3113, United States.
Abstract:
We report the synthesis, self-assembly characteristics, and ultrafast electron transfer dynamics of a perylene-3,4-dicarboximide (PMI) covalently linked to an N,N'-bis(3,4,5-tridodecyloxyphenyl)melamine electron donor (D) via a biphenyl spacer (PMI-Ph2-D). Synchrotron-based small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) measurements in methylcyclohexane solution show that PMI-Ph2-D self-assembles into π-π stacked, hydrogen-bonded foldamers consisting of two or three hexameric rings or helices. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy reveals that photoinduced charge separation within these nanostructures occurs by a unique pathway that is emergent in the assembly, whereas electron transfer does not occur in the PMI-Ph2-D monomers in tetrahydrofuran.
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