SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A BIS-ARBOROL-TETRATHIAFULVALENE GEL - TOWARD A SELF-ASSEMBLING MOLECULAR WIRE

A gel-forming compound, iamidoheptyl]thio]-5,5'-dimethyltetrathiafulva lene (1) has been prepared, with the aim of manufacturing a self-assem bling ''molecular'' wire. The gel has been characterized structurally by optical and atomic force microscopy. These investigations revealed stringlike superstructures with lengths of the order of microns and di ameters ranging from about 30 to several hundred nanometers. Absorptio n spectroscopy of 1, both in the neutral and in the oxidized state, in dicates that the tetrathiafulvalene units form stacks through which co nduction could take place.