A hierarchical self-assembly of 4,5-diphenylimidazole on copper

The hierarchical self-assembly of an organic low-molecular-weight compound, 4,5-diphenylimidazole (DPI), from single molecules to 2D building blocks to higher-order mesostructures was induced successfully by the cooperation of coordination and several weak interactions at copper-solution interface. The morphologies and properties of the as-obtained DPI hierarchical mesostructures can be readily controlled by changing the assembly conditions such as the sort of solvent, the DPI concentration and the ripening time. The measurements of ESI-MS, FT-IR and Auger electron spectroscopes indicate that the complex formed by the coordination between DPI and copper plays an important role in that it provides a center for the nucleation and growth of the 2D sheet-like basic units. The DPI mesostructures can change the property of copper surface and endow the copper with novel surface performances. Moreover, it should be feasible to extend the strategy described here to other metal-ligand systems.