Issue 1, 2021

Ferro-self-assembly: magnetic and electrochemical adaptation of a multiresponsive zwitterionic metalloamphiphile showing a shape-hysteresis effect

Abstract

Metallosurfactants are molecular compounds which combine the unique features of amphiphiles, like their capability of self-organization, with the peculiar properties of metal complexes like magnetism and a rich redox chemistry. Considering the high relevance of surfactants in industry and science, amphiphiles that change their properties on applying an external trigger are highly desirable. A special feature of the surfactant reported here, 1-(Z)-heptenyl-1′-dimethylammonium-methyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ferrocene (6), is that the redox-active ferrocene constituent is in a gemini-position. Oxidation to 6+ induces a drastic change of the surfactant's properties accompanied by the emergence of paramagnetism. The effects of an external magnetic field on vesicles formed by 6+ and the associated dynamics were monitored in situ using a custom-made optical birefringence and dual dynamic light scattering setup. This allowed us to observe the optical anisotropy as well as the anisotropy of the diffusion coefficient and revealed the field-induced formation of oriented string-of-pearls-like aggregates and their delayed disappearance after the field is switched off.

Graphical abstract: Ferro-self-assembly: magnetic and electrochemical adaptation of a multiresponsive zwitterionic metalloamphiphile showing a shape-hysteresis effect

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
22 Sep 2020
Accepted
21 Oct 2020
First published
03 Nov 2020
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2021,12, 270-281

Ferro-self-assembly: magnetic and electrochemical adaptation of a multiresponsive zwitterionic metalloamphiphile showing a shape-hysteresis effect

S. Bitter, M. Schlötter, M. Schilling, M. Krumova, S. Polarz and R. F. Winter, Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 270 DOI: 10.1039/D0SC05249C

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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