Self-asemblies of aromatic cyclic imides and properties.

What is it about?

The cyclic aromatic imide rings are dipolar and can be arranged in self-assemblies in different ways. They can be self-assembled as head to head, head to tail parallel stacks or they can be in different non-parallel arrangements. The presence of different weak interactions each differing in assembly to assembly they confer different properties to such assemblies. The aggregation induced properties and the changes of different orientations of counterparts attached to imides such as naphthalimide are used to modulate interesting properties. The chiral assemblies formed by association of naphthalimide derivatives and effect of substuents attached on the ring provide unique properties. The structural variations can be made to tune different properties associated with such systems. Conformational adjustments of the substituent attached makes serious impact to change optical and directional physical properties. The self-assemblies at nano-dimensions of these classes of compounds have sown serious implications in changing properties. Thus starting from sensing properties, to domain expansion imide derives have their role and greatly contribute to directional properties. Metal complexes containing naphthalimide derivatives as ligand have shown single molecule magnet properties. The participation of naphthalimide derivatives with guest molecules to form self-assemblies provides template to hold additional guest molecules. Ability to form cocrystals with guest of comparable size and formation of wide range of solvents makes provision for crystal modification through epitaxial growth. The symmetry non-equivalent molecules in crystals naphthalimide derivatives provide scope to study metastable polymorphs. All these utility aspects with fundamental basis of understanding are detailed through selected examples.

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Why is it important?

Aromatic imides such as phthalimides, naphthalimides, perylene imides have extensive supramolecular chemistry and finds applications as sensors, electronic materials, photoconductors, energy transfer, resonance energy transfer, NLO material and as probes. Their solid state chemistry as non-covalently linked self-assembly and as host-guest system or multi-components system, charge transfer complexes make them unique. The interplay of weak interactions and their organized non-covalently linked assemblies are useful in signal transduction and make molecular switches and molecular machines. Redox properties associated with them and ability to undergo chemical transformations and assist as catalyst makes them indispensible. These aspects are discussed in the review article.

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