Fabrication of multiplicate nanostructures via manipulation of the self-assembly between an adamantane based gelator and cyclodextrin

Four kinds of nanostructural morphologies, ribbons, orderly patterned threads, tubes and vesicles, were obtained in a two-component self-assembly system of an adamantane based gelator and beta-cyclodextrins (CD) via host-guest interactions and solvent tuning. First, the gelator was gelled in DMF giving a nanoribbon structure. Then, interestingly, by simple addition of beta-CD into DMF solution of the gelator, the morphology of the two-component gel was changed to orderly parallel arranged nanothreads with uniform size, and further evolved into nanotubes and nanovesicles when different volume ratios of water were subsequently added. Thus, a simple method was achieved to prepare different morphologies of nanomaterials by adjustment of the self-assembly process. The formation mechanism of the specific morphologies was investigated through a variety of experimental methods such as NMR, FTIR, XRD, etc. The intermolecular interactions between the gelator and beta-CD and the hydrophobic cavity of beta-CD were assumed as the main driving forces for the evolution of the morphologies.