In a collaborative effort, researchers from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bengaluru have made a breakthrough in understanding how small organic molecules can be guided to form advanced functional materials
This could facilitate future electronic devices, tuneable optoelectronic systems, responsive materials, and bioelectronic interfaces.
The researchers investigated naphthalene diimide (NDI), which is an amphiphilic molecule with the unique ability to organise itself in water through a process known as supramolecular self-assembly.
According to the Department of Science and Technology, the researchers discovered that at room temperature, these molecules self-assemble into tiny circular nanostructures called nanodisks.
“These nanodisks display an optical property that enables them to interact with polarised light in a distinctive way (chiroptical activity),” the department said.
