Fig. 3: Illustration of the rigid molecular conformation controlled by strong interactions between OEG side chains and solvents.

a,b, Cartoons providing a schematic visualization of the differences that are found between the BTP-TO2- and BTP-TC8-based systems. c, Molecular dynamics snapshots of BTP-TO2 (i), BTP-TC8 (ii) molecular conformations in PX solution: the OEG side chain of BTP-TO2 consistently extends out linearly within the surrounding solvents, whereas the side chain of BTP-TC8 is entangled with its backbone.