Molecular Organization of Cylindrical Sexithiophene Aggregates Measured by X-ray Scattering and Magnetic Alignment

We have determined the internal organization of elongated sexithiophene aggregates in solution by combining small-angle X-ray scattering and magnetic birefringence experiments. The different aggregate axes can be probed independently by performing the experiments on magnetically aligned aggregates. We have found multi walled cylindrical aggregates consisting of radially oriented sexithiophene molecules with pi-pi-stacking in the tangential direction, a structure that is considerably different from those previously found in other solvents. The aggregate morphology of this semiconducting material can thus be tuned by using different solvents, which offers the attractive perspective to steer chemical self-assembly toward nanostructures with desired functionalities, especially in combination with the alignment in a magnetic field.