Perylenebis(dicarboximide)-based Chromonic Mesogens for the Fabrication of Micro- and Nanopatterned Materials

Abstract

Bis(ammoniumethyl)perylene-3,4:9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide trifluoro acetate, 1 was synthesized and its properties in dilute aqueous solutions were studied by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The studies showed H-aggregation, which can be affected by the concentration of the solution, solvent used, and temperature. At higher concentration (≥ 9 wt%) the solution of 1 showed chromonic liquid-crystalline properties which were examined by polarized light microscopy and 2H NMR spectroscopy. These properties were compared to previously studied perylenediimides for their structural effects. Template-guided organization of the chromonic mesogen was employed in the fabrication of micropatterns which showed dichroic properties. A complex pattern that resulted when two 2-µm patterns were overlapped perpendicularly has potential applications in 3D and holographic films. Nanolines of 100 nm in width were also generated from the soft lithography technique and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. This fabricated pattern with nanoline features has potential applications as semiconducting and photoconducting nanowires in electronic devices.