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Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Fabrication of Polymer Microspheres for Optical Resonator and Laser Applications
Published on: June 2, 2017
Fabrication of two-dimensional (2D) ordered microsphere aligned by supramolecular self-assembly of Formyl-azobenzene
Hongchao Ma1, Shuo Li1, Yanhui Wei2
1State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China.
Abstract:
An azobenzene with a terminal formyl group, named as (4-[(3-Formyl-4-hydroxy)phenylazo]benzene (FHPAB)), was synthesized and used to manipulate the self-assembly of diphenylalanine (FF) molecules. Two-dimensional (2D) thin slices which are composed of ordered microspheres have been constructed through supramolecular self-assembly of FF and FHPAB. The FTIR and XPS results indicate that CN covalent bond between FF and FHPAB was generated. Hydrogen bonding and strong π-π interaction between the planar FF-HFPAB conjugates are the driving force to form the FF-HFPAB 2D thin slices. Based on the results, a possible formation mechanism of the 2D thin slices was proposed. We also found that the FF-based 2D thin slices possess superhydrophobic properties, which is therefore an extension of the range of applications of peptide assembly.
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