Salen-Based Amphiphiles: Directing Self-Assembly in Water by Metal Complexation

Tuning morphologies of self-assembled structures in water is a major challenge. Herein we present a salen-based amphiphile which, using complexation with distinct transition metal ions, allows to control effectively the self-assembly morphology in water, as observed by Cryo-TEM and confirmed by DLS measurements. Applying this strategy with various metal ions gives a broad spectrum of self-assembled structures starting from the same amphiphilic ligand (from cubic structures to vesicles and micelles). Thermogravimetric analysis and electric conductivity measurements reveal a key role for water coordination apparently being responsible for the distinct assembly behavior.