State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and, Die & Mould Technology School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
Chemistry. 2021 Nov 22;27(65):16212-16218. doi: 10.1002/chem.202103123. Epub 2021 Oct 13.
Surface cracks could improve the optical and photoelectronic properties of crystalline materials as they increase specific surface area, but the controlled self-assembly of fullerene (C ) molecules into micro-/nanostructures with surface cracks is still challenging. Herein, we report the morphology engineering of novel C microstructures bearing surface cracks for the first time, selecting phenetole and propan-1-ol (NPA) as good and poor solvents, respectively. Our systematic investigations reveal that phenetole molecules initially participate in the formation of the ends of the C microstructures, and then NPA molecules are involved in the gradual growth of the sidewalls of the microstructures. Therefore, the surface cracks of C microstructures can be finely regulated by adjusting the addition of NPA and the crystallization time. Interestingly, the cracked C microstructures show superior photoluminescence properties relative to the smooth microstructures due to the increased specific surface area. In addition, C microstructures with wide cracks show preferential recognition of silica particles over C particles owing to electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged C microstructures and the positively charged silica microparticles. These C crystals with surface cracks have potential applications from optoelectronics to biology.
表面裂纹可以提高晶体材料的光学和光电性能，因为它们增加了比表面积，但控制富勒烯（C ）分子自组装成具有表面裂纹的微/纳米结构仍然具有挑战性。在此，我们首次报道了具有表面裂纹的新型 C 微结构的形态工程，选择苯乙醚和 1-丙醇（NPA）分别作为良好和不良溶剂。我们的系统研究表明，苯乙醚分子最初参与 C 微结构末端的形成，然后 NPA 分子参与微结构侧壁的逐渐生长。因此，通过调节 NPA 的添加量和结晶时间，可以精细调节 C 微结构的表面裂纹。有趣的是，由于比表面积的增加，具有裂纹的 C 微结构表现出相对于光滑微结构更好的光致发光性能。此外，具有宽裂纹的 C 微结构对二氧化硅颗粒表现出优先的识别，这是由于带负电荷的 C 微结构与带正电荷的二氧化硅微颗粒之间的静电相互作用。这些具有表面裂纹的 C 晶体在光电学和生物学等领域具有潜在的应用。
