Shape-persistent mesogens and intrinsic void – a new design tool for tailoring nanostructured soft materials

Place: Conference room, IMDEA Nanociencia.

Abstract: 

Shape-amphiphiles consist of two structural molecular building blocks which are immiscible because of their incommensurate shape. Examples are discs and rods or discs and spheres. Both components tend to maximise their packing in nanosegregated compartments. We use this strategy and design star molecules providing intrinsic free space in which spherical molecular units, attached via flexible spacers, can nanosegregate. This molecular topology result in amazing nanostructures in which fullerenes are segregated in triple- and quadruple helices and even a new supramolecular Click-procedure has been identified leading to structures combing light harvesting and charge separation properties - processes which are of immense interest in photovoltaic soft matter.

Short bio: 

Matthias Lehmann is a Professor in Soft Organic Materials and Liquid Crystals at the University of Würzburg. After studies in Chemistry (University of Mainz) and two postdoctoral positions at the University of Zaragoza and the Free University of Brussels, he started his independent career at the Chemnitz University of Technology. His research interests focus on synthesis, self-assembly, and application of complex soft matter with liquid-crystalline properties as new emerging materials, with emphasis to comprehensive structural investigations by X-ray scattering, modeling, and simulation.