Switchable helical structures formed by the hierarchical self-assembly of laterally tethered nanorods.

The formation of helical scrolls formed by self-assembly of tethered nanorod amphiphiles and their molecular analogs are investigated. A model bilayer sheet assembled by laterally tethered nanorods is simulated and shown that it can fold into distinct helical morphologies under different solvent conditions. The helices can reversibly transform from one morphology to another by dynamically changing the solvent condition. This model serves both to inspire the fabrication of laterally tethered nanorods for assembling helices at nanometer scales and as a proof-of-concept for engineering switchable nanomaterials via hierarchical self-assembly.