Octupole-like supramolecular aggregates of conical iron fullerene complexes into a three-dimensional liquid crystalline lattice.

The installation of three structural features into a fullerene molecule, a conical shape, a polar iron-ferrocene complex, and long alkyl chains, allowed dipolar molecules 1 and 2 to undergo microphase separation and to form a three-dimensional lattice in a crystalline and a thermotropic liquid crystalline phase. The key feature is a tetrameric octupole-like aggregate, in which four dipoles are arranged supramolecularly to cancel the molecular polarity, forming a sphere. In addition to this lattice formation mechanism, the molecules incorporate noteworthy features, such as redox active C(60)/ferrocene and luminescent cyclophenacene.