Camouflaged carborane amphiphiles: synthesis and self-assembly

A series of amphiphilic amine hydrochloride salts of B-polymethylated (camouflaged) (aminoalkyl)- and bis(aminoalkyl)carboranes have been designed and synthesized in high yield for the purpose of constructing novel carborane-based nanomaterials. Due to the distinct separation of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions within each salt, the mono- and disubstituted amphiphiles spontaneously self-assembled upon sonication into rod-shape micro/nanostructures in aqueous solutions. The effects of concentration, method of dispersion, solvent, chain length, counterion, ionic charge, and underlying carborane cage structure on the formation of the these rod products were investigated. The microrods have been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), and FTIR. For the first time, this work clearly demonstrates the self-assembly of B-polymethylated carboranes into supramolecular structures.