Farnaz Saremi, Bernd Tieke, Guntram Jordan, Werner Rammensee: Multilayers of polydiacetylenes prepared upon electrostatic self-assembly

New types of polydiacetylene multilayers are presented. The first type is based on electrostatic self-organization of diacetylene bolaamphiphiles and polyelectrolytes on a charged substrate followed by subsequent UV-polymerization. The second type is prepared by direct adsorption of a water-soluble polydiacetylene and a polyelectrolyte in alternating sequence. The monomeric diacetylenes are of the general formula X-(CH2)9-CC-CC-(CH2)9)-X with X being a sulfate (1a), phosphate (2) or pyridinium (3) headgroup. The polydiacetylene (1b) chosen for the multilayer built-up is obtained by gamma-irradiation of the correspondent diacetylene monomer 1a. It is found that all diacetylene derivatives are well suited for building up self-assembled multilayers and that two of the monomers (1a, 2) can be polymerized on the substrate, while 3 is photoinactive. The morphology of the multilayers is studied by scanning force microscopy and discussed. The smoothest surface topology is found for multilayers built up of the polydiacetylene 1b and a cationic polyelectrolyte in alternate sequence, while the largest unevenness is found, when the anionic diacetylene 1a is alternatingly adsorbed with the cationic bolaamphiphile 3 followed by subsequent UV-polymerization on the substrate.

Keywords: polydiacetylenes; electrostatic self-assembly; multilayers

Supramolecular Science, v 4, n 3, 1997, p0-0 (ID XX000000) Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science