writer：Guihua Fu, Nan Xia, Yongliang Wang, Miao Yang, Guoliang Zhang, Wei Wang*
keywords：Perylene derivatives; Aggregates; Crystal growth; Atomic force microscopy
source：期刊
specific source：Materials Letters
Issue time：2009年

Perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic tetraethyl ester (PTCTEE) was synthesized via an esterification of perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) with ethanol and iodoethane. After the chloroform solution of PTCTEE was mixed with n-hexane the luminescence intensity decreases, indicating the aggregation of the PTCTEE molecules. The characterizations of AFM and TEM showed that PTCTEE could form belt-like aggregates in this mixed solvents. The process of the formation and growth of the belt-like aggregates was tracked using AFM and the relation between the length of the belt-like aggregates and time could be well described using an exponential function. This aggregate growth is a one-dimensional crystallization of the PTCTEE molecules mainly due to the strong π–π stacking ability of perylene cores. The proper interaction between the side chains and solvent also plays an important role in creating one-dimensional aggregates of PTCTEE.