Exploring shape amphiphiles beyond giant surfactants: molecular design and click synthesis

Abstract

This paper reports the molecular design and click syntheses of novel shape amphiphiles with molecular architectures beyond conventional giant surfactants. They include (1) the giant bolaform surfactant which consists of a polystyrene (PS) chain tethered with one hydrophilic POSS cage at each end of the chain (DPOSS–PS–DPOSS); (2) the giant gemini surfactant which contains two hydrophilic POSS cages and two PS tails tethered at one junction point (2DPOSS–2PS); and (3) the multi-headed giant surfactant which is composed of three hydrophilic POSS cages tethered at one end of a PS chain (3DPOSS–PS). The syntheses were achieved in a modular and efficient fashion following the sequential click approach in good yields, providing easy access to a family of shape amphiphiles with precise chemical structures and fine-tuned interactions for a systematic study of structure–property relationships.