Self‐Assembly Behavior of Monodisperse PEG Amphiphiles Bearing Hydrophobic Units with Distinct Molecular Shapes in Water

The shape of hydrophobic units on the self-assembly of amphiphiles in pure water remains underexplored. In this work, three types of octaethylene glycol (OEG)-appended amphiphiles bearing propeller-shaped, twisted, and planar hydrophobic units were synthesized. They formed different types of assemblies, such as liquid droplets, nanosheets, and supramolecular oligomers, suggesting the importance of molecular shape in designing the self-assembly of amphiphiles in water.