Cooperative molecular motion within a self-assembled liquid-crystalline molecular wire: the case of a TEG-substituted perylenediimide disc.

Always on the move: Molecular dynamics of perylene cores in columnar structures influences the processability and self-healing of these materials. A combination of X-ray scattering and advanced solid-state NMR methods show that these systems have restricted angular mobility of the cores even in the frozen phase, and a cooperative spiral type of motion in the liquid crystalline phase (see picture).