Designing the topology of the fluid phase in nano-structured liquids is a key factor for a variety of practical applications ranging from drug delivery to membrane technology. Supramolecular assembly of low-molecular-weight compounds is a convenient tool to generate a diversity of structures that can be suitable for creating ion-selective membranes.
A novel wedge-shaped amphiphilic molecule bearing a sulfonate group at the tip is found to exhibit humidity-induced phase transitions from hexagonal columnar structure to bicontinuous cubic phases [1,2]. The mesophases can be arrested by photo-polymerization of acrylic end-groups resulting in free-standing membranes with different topology of ionic nano-channels. The obtained membranes with well-ordered ionic-channel structure hold promise for applications in separation and catalysis.
References :
[1] H. Zhang, L. Li, M. Möller, X. Zhu, J.J.H. Rueda, M. Rosenthal, D.A. Ivanov, Advanced Materials, 25 (2013) 3543-3548.
[2] Y. Chen, M.D. Lingwood, M. Goswami1, B.E. Kidd, J.J Hernandez, M. Rosenthal, D.A. Ivanov, J. Perlich, H. Zhang, X. Zhu, M. Möller, and L.A. Madsen, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 118 (2014), 3207–3217.