Morphological evolution of nanostructures: From molecules to metallosupramolecules to nanoscale structures

Morphological evolution from organic molecules to metallosupramolecules to nanoscale structures is reported. Specifically, bis(iminopyrrole)benzene molecules are coordinated with the Zn-II ions to give the characteristic metallosupramolecular architectures of double helicates, triangles and squares. These metallosupramolecules then, as building blocks, aggregate into particular shaped nanostructures such as nanospheres, nanobelts and nanorods. These nanostructures finally coalesce into macroparticles without a variation in shape. The optical properties of the fabricated nanostructures are comparable to those of solution and bulk materials. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.