Molecular-Curvature-Induced Spontaneous Formation of Curved and Concentric Lamellae through Nucleation

Spontaneous formation of concentric lamellae was observed in self- assembling giant surfactants consisting of a fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (FPOSS) head and flexible polymer tail(s). Owing to the asymmetrical sizes of the head and tail blocks and the rectangular molecular interface, the giant surfactants assumed a truncated- wedge- like molecular shape, which induced morphological curvature during self- assembly, thus resulting in the formation of curved and concentric lamellae. These curved/concentric lamellae were observed in FPOSS- based giant surfactants with different architectures and compositions. The spontaneous curvature formation not only promotes our fundamental understanding of assembly principles, but also provides a promising and efficient approach to the fabrication of a wide range of high- performance devices.