Self-assembly of conjugated polymers for anisotropic nanostructures

As their potential applications in various electronic devices increase, the preparation of anisotropic conjugated polymer nanostructures are highly desirable. This paper presents a review of the literature and our recent results on the self-assembly of one-, two- and three-dimensional anisotropic nanostructures using conjugated polymers as building blocks, including the formation of one-dimensional (1D) nanofibers and nanotubes, two-dimensional (2D) nanoribbons and nanosheets, and three-dimensional (3D) superstructures. The mechanisms guiding the formation of various nanostructures are analyzed by a cooperative effect of - stacking interaction and other noncovalent interactions.