Abstract:

A series of amphiphilic azobenzene derivatives were synthesized(including CH3-Azo, COOH-Azo, CH3O-Azo and SO3H-Azo) and their aggregation behaviors were studied in cyclohexane. Transition electron microscope(TEM) observations revealed that hollow spherical, rod-like and tubular aggregations of CH3O-Azo, COOH-Azo and SO3H-Azo, respectively, could be formed in the solvent. All four substituted azobenzenes show similar absorption bands around 350 nm in UV-Vis spectra and emit the same 625 nm fluorescence despite of the different natures of the four substitutes. The later might be ascribed to their aggregation behaviors. It is believed that the synergetic effect between the substitutes and hydrophobic chains among the supramolecular interactions in cyclohexane causes their morphological variations.

Key words: Aggregation, Azobenzene, TEM, spectra