ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Helical silica nanotubes: Nanofabrication architecture, transfer of helix and chirality to silica nanotubes

Tae Kyu Kim, Euh Duck Jeong, Chae Young Oh, Min Seob Shin, Jong-Pil Kim, Ok-Sang Jung, Hongsuk Suh, Fazlur Rahman Nawaz Khan, Myung Ho Hyun, and Jong Sung Jin

Division of High Technology Materials Research, Busan Centre, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Busan, 618-230 Republic of Korea

E-mail: nawaz_f@yahoo.co.in

Abstract: A series of neutral gelators and cationic amphiphiles derived from 1,2 diphenylethylenediamine (I) and 1,2-cyclohexanediamine (II) was synthesised. Helical silica nanotubes were prepared utilising these organic gelators through sol-gel polycondensation of tetraethoxy silane, (TEOS-silica source). Right- and left-handed helical nanotubes respectively were obtained from a 1: 1 mass mixture of optically active, (1S,2S)-III-(1S,2S)-V neutral gelator and (1S,2S)-IV-(1S,2S)-VI cationic amphiphile and a 1: 1 mass mixture of optically active, (1R,2R)-III-(1R,2R)-V neutral gelator and (1R,2R)-IV-(1R,2R)-VI cationic amphiphile, indicating that the handedness of the helical nanotubes varied with the change in the neutral gelator precursors used. The nanotubes were characterised by SEM images.

Keywords: organogels – silica nanomaterials – chirality – handedness – crossover experiments

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-011-0083-5

Chemical Papers 65 (6) 863–872 (2011)