Octupole-like Supramolecular Aggregates of Conical Iron Fullerene Complexes into a Three-Dimensional Liquid Crystalline Lattice

The installation of three structural features into a fullerene molecule, a conical shape, a polar iron-ferrocene complex, and long alkyl chains, allowed dipolar molecules 1 and 2 to undergo microphase separation and to form a three-dimensional lattice in a crystalline and a thermotropic liquid crystalline phase. The key feature is a tetrameric octupole-like aggregate, in which four dipoles are arranged supramolecularly to cancel the molecular polarity, forming a sphere. In addition to this lattice formation mechanism, the molecules incorporate noteworthy features, such as redox active C60/ferrocene and luminescent cyclophenacene.

将锥形结构、极性二茂铁（ferrocene）配合物与长烷基链这三种结构特征引入富勒烯分子后，偶极分子1与2可发生微相分离，并分别在晶相及热致液晶相中形成三维晶格。该体系的关键特征为四聚体类八极聚集体：四个偶极通过超分子方式排布以抵消分子极性，最终形成球状结构。除上述晶格形成机制外，该类分子还具备氧化还原活性C60/二茂铁与发光环菲烯等值得关注的特性。