Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Conjugated Oligomers and Polymers under Lateral 2D Confinement

The molecular conformation and packing arrangement of π-conjugated oligomers and polymers in thin films critically determines the physical performance and final applicability of such layers in organic (opto-)electronic devices. 2D self-assembly provides a straightforward route to fabricate ordered nanostructures of oligomers or polymers, but the fundamental principles underlying the assembly process are poorly understood. Moreover, the industrial tendency to down-scale active components leads to an increasing importance of dimensional constraints; an aspect that has remained largely unexplored. In this project, nanoscale lateral confinement is exploited to investigate the assembly principles of π-conjugated oligomers and polymers at interfaces, and their relation to spatial confinement.

Keywords:Pi-conjugated oligomers/polymers, Lateral confinement, Scanning tunneling microscopy, Supramolecular self-assembly

Disciplines:Photochemistry