Visualisation of helical structures of poly(diphenylacetylene)s bearing chiral amide pendants by atomic force microscopy

The helical structures of poly(diphenylacetylene)s bearing optically active substituents linked through amide bonds and with a helicity memory have been visualised using atomic force microscopy. The polymers self-assembled into an ordered 2D monolayer on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite upon exposure to solvent vapour, whose helical pitch and handedness (right- and left-handed) were for the first time directly revealed at molecular resolution.

Automated summary

The study visualized the helical structures of poly(diphenylacetylene)s bearing optically active substituents linked through amide bonds and with a helicity memory using atomic force microscopy. The polymers self-assembled into an ordered 2D monolayer on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite upon exposure to solvent vapor, with the helical pitch and handedness (right- and left-handed) directly revealed at molecular resolution for the first time.