SANS INVESTIGATION OF SELF-ASSEMBLING DENDRIMERS IN ORGANIC-SOLVENTS

The self-assembly behaviour of tetraacids 1a-c and tetraester 4 in CDC l3 and [H-2(8)]tetrahydrofuran {[H-2(8)]THF} has been investigated by the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS)technique. The experimental S ANS data were compared with simulated scattering data derived from str uctural models proposed previously for the aggregates. These studies s uggest that dendritic monomers 1b,c self-assemble into cyclic hexameri c aggregates, whereas la forms a large tubular aggregate in CDCl3. Fur ther study on 1c in CDCl3 as a function of concentration suggests that the cyclic hexameric aggregates strongly interact with each other at higher concentrations. The control compound 4 was shown to be monomeri c in both solvents.