Exceptionally long-range self-assembly of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene with dove-tailed alkyl substituents

The substitution of a hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene by bulky, space-demanding, 2-decyltetradecyl side chains proved to be an effective procedure to influence the thermal and self-aggregation behavior. The extremely large steric requirement of the introduced side chains modulated the aggregation and resulted in a dramatic lowering of the isotropization temperature and a higher solubility. As an additional consequence of the exceptional, long-range self-aggregation of the discotic molecule, spherulite formation was observed during crystallization by polarized light microscopy. Macroscopic self-assembly was induced by zone crystallization of the material, leading to aligned columnar superstructures as revealed by 2D-WAXS experiments. These extraordinary properties have not yet been reported for a discotic columnar material, making this compound very promising for application in electronic devices.