Abstract
Questioning how molecular topography can govern supramolecular ordering is a relatively unexplored avenue of thought and one that could lead towards new functional materials. “Carpyridines” — macrocycles fused from carbazoles and pyridines — are an underdeveloped example of a simple system bearing negative Gaussian curvature that could hold such promise. Derivatisation of these non-planar systems through peripheral functionalisation of the aromatic core has yielded supramolecular assemblies in the form of 2D sheets on surface, down to the thickness of a single molecule and with fantastic edge definition in some cases. Performing several diffractive techniques has allowed for characterisation of these macrocycles and their self-assemblies, demonstrating that the inherent saddle topography is able to restrict the rotational freedom of carpyridine monomers within columnar stacks that make up the nanosheets.
Woods, Joseph