Polymorphic Single-Layer and Fibrillar Nanostructures of J-Aggregates of a Carbocyanine Dye

Abstract

Abstract—J-aggregates of a carbocyanine dye (pyridinium salt of 3,3'-di-(γ-sulfopropyl)-4,5,4',5'-di(tieno-3'',2'')-9‑ethyl-tiatrimethine cyanine betaine) (CC) were studied via the high-resolution AFM method at the mesoscale and nanoscale. They were found to exist in two structurally different polymorphic forms of single layers and fibrils. The class of single-layer J-aggregates consists of irregular micron sheets and giant submicron tubes, whose structure is identical to tubular J-aggregates of other cyanine dyes. The fibrillar J-aggregates are composed of 3-nm-high fibrils forming the networks owing to merging and branching, as well as of “elementary” fibrils with a height close to the molecular sizes of dye. Structural models of elementary fibril with molecular “staircase” and “ladder” stacking types were proposed as well.