Selective recognition induced nanostructures in a cucurbit[7]uril-based host–guest system: micelles, nanorods and nanosheets

The selective recognition between CB[7] and hexadecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (HDBAC) was investigated using ITC and NMR. The long alkyl-bearing surfactant can form micelles when dispersed in water. We found that progressive addition of CB[7] into the HDBAC dispersion induced the transformation of micelles into various self-organized structures including nanorods and nanosheets as evidenced by DLS, TEM, AFM and SAXS. A rational mechanism is proposed to illustrate the host-guest interaction induced transformation process.