Fig. 3: Probing the evolution of supramolecular polymers into dendritic homochiral superstructures (DHS) using FE-SEM. | Nature Communications

Fig. 3: Probing the evolution of supramolecular polymers into dendritic homochiral superstructures (DHS) using FE-SEM.

From: Secondary nucleation guided noncovalent synthesis of dendritic homochiral superstructures via growth on and from surface

Fig. 3

Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images of S-G (30 μM) in 15% CHCl3 in IPA spin-coated on a silicon wafer at various time intervals. a At 0 min., freshly prepared aggregates are smaller in size, consisting of single and double helices, white arrows show primary nucleation fibers, and circled areas indicate branching (inset: transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image showing a double helix formation). b After 15 min., intertwined helices grow bigger in length and width with increased branching. c After 30 min., the intertwined helices start forming a superhelix of widths between 190 nm to 220 nm and with further increased branching. d After 45 min., we observed dendritic homochiral superstructures (DHS) having a superhelix of width 430 nm with extensive branching. e A magnified FE-SEM image of the central superhelix from which smaller helices are originating shows that the superhelix is composed of multiple helices. f A 3D image of DHS showing a superhelix core with a height of ~305 nm.

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