Self-organization of nitrogen-containing polymeric supramolecules in thin films

Rigid rod-like poly(2,5-pyridinediyl), semi-rigid polyaniline and flexible poly(4- vinylpyridine) are nitrogen-containing polymers that with selected amphiphilic oligomers form self-organized comb-shaped supramolecules due to protonation, hydrogen bonding and polar- nonpolar effects combined. Luminescent or conductive ordered structures are demonstrated in thin films. The structures are characterized using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS). The uniformity is studied using atomic force microscopy and scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM)