Remarkable Effect of Odd–Even Spacer in Supramolecular Polymerization and Piezoresponse of Amide‐Functionalized Naphthalene Diimides

ABSTRACT This study reports an unprecedented odd–even spacer‐length effect on the supramolecular polymerization and piezoelectricity of a series of amide‐functionalized naphthalene‐diimide (NDI) derivatives. By varying the number of methylene units ( n = 1–4) in the linker between the NDI‐core and the hydrogen‐bonding amide group, we demonstrate that the parity of the spacer dictates the stability, internal‐order, gelation, and functionality of the supramolecular polymers. Even‐spacer derivatives exhibit significantly higher thermal stability, melting points, and gel‐phase elasticity compared to their odd‐spacer counterparts. Supramolecular polymerization for all derivatives follows a nucleation‐elongation pathway; however, even‐spacer monomers display markedly higher cooperativity and also favor more stable elongation. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations elucidate the structural origin of these differences: even‐spacer derivatives adopt a tightly packed helical π‐stacking pattern that results in the cancellation of the in‐plane dipoles. In contrast, odd‐spacer derivatives form linear, offset stacking motifs where individual dipoles align and accumulate, leading to highly polarizable supramolecular polymers. This divergence in the internal dipole orientation translates into a dramatic odd–even effect on the piezoelectric dipolar hysteresis. Odd‐spacer derivatives exhibit remarkably high positive piezoelectric coefficients (maximum d 33 ∼ 75 pm/V), whereas even‐spacer systems show much weaker, and rarely reported negative responses (minimum d 33 −15 pm/V).

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-04-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.5599053
Primary Topic
Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Remarkable Effect of Odd–Even Spacer in Supramolecular Polymerization and Piezoresponse of Amide‐Functionalized Naphthalene Diimides

Aritri Pal, Biman Jana, Swadesh Paul, Anuja Datta et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
article

Remarkable Effect of Odd–Even Spacer in Supramolecular Polymerization and Piezoresponse of Amide‐Functionalized Naphthalene Diimides

Aritri Pal, Biman Jana, Swadesh Paul, Anuja Datta, Suhrit Ghosh, Pradipta Kumar Das
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study reports an unprecedented odd–even spacer‐length effect on the supramolecular polymerization and piezoelectricity of a series of amide‐functionalized naphthalene‐diimide (NDI) derivatives. By varying the number of methylene units ( n = 1–4) in the linker between the NDI‐core and the hydrogen‐bonding amide group, we demonstrate that the parity of the spacer dictates the stability, internal‐order, gelation, and functionality of the supramolecular polymers. Even‐spacer derivatives exhibit significantly higher thermal stability, melting points, and gel‐phase elasticity compared to their odd‐spacer counterparts. Supramolecular polymerization for all derivatives follows a nucleation‐elongation pathway; however, even‐spacer monomers display markedly higher cooperativity and also favor more stable elongation. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations elucidate the structural origin of these differences: even‐spacer derivatives adopt a tightly packed helical π‐stacking pattern that results in the cancellation of the in‐plane dipoles. In contrast, odd‐spacer derivatives form linear, offset stacking motifs where individual dipoles align and accumulate, leading to highly polarizable supramolecular polymers. This divergence in the internal dipole orientation translates into a dramatic odd–even effect on the piezoelectric dipolar hysteresis. Odd‐spacer derivatives exhibit remarkably high positive piezoelectric coefficients (maximum d 33 ∼ 75 pm/V), whereas even‐spacer systems show much weaker, and rarely reported negative responses (minimum d 33 −15 pm/V).

Angewandte Chemie
Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IN), Institute of Nanotechnology (GB)
Arthritis National Research Foundation
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
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