More than Meets the Eye: Conformational Switching of a Stacked Dialkoxynaphthalene–Naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (DAN–NDI) Foldamer to an NDI–NDI Fibril Aggregate

The thermally induced conformational switching of a stacked dialkxoynaphthalene-naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (DAN-NDI) amphiphilic foldamer to an NDI-NDI fibril aggregate is described. The aggregated fibril structures were explored by UV/Vis, circular dichroism (CD), atomic-force microscopy (AFM), and TEM techniques. Our findings indicate that the aromatic DAN-NDI interactions of the original foldamer undergoes transformation to a fibrillar assembly with aromatic NDI-NDI stacked interactions. These structural insights could help inform new molecular designs and increase our understanding of fibrillar assembly and aggregation process in aqueous solution.