Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The creation of nanometer-scale (nanoscale) materials has fascinated and inspired the scientific community for more than a quarter of a century because of the wide range of applications of these materials, e.g. applications in drug delivery, medicine, tissue engineering, memory storage, display and audio devices, semiconductors, etc. π-Conjugated dendrimers have a proposed flat packing arrangement. An alternating phenyl isoxazole dendrimer system was developed to investigate this phenomenon. The synthesis of this dendritic system was attempted by divergent and convergent approaches. Preparation of the second generation failed because some functional groups inhibited the monomers to react to the first generation. Other examples of nano materials that have attracted a vast amount of interest are the so-called discotic amphiphiles. Discotic amphiphilic molecules have the potential to self-assemble into helical architectures. Discotic systems bearing chiral polar side chains (one and three respectively) were developed. Their self-assembly was investigated in variable concentration and variable solvent composition experiments. These systems did show signs of aggregation in UV-vis and CD spectroscopy experiments. Thread-like helical structures were observed with transmission electron microscopy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nanometer-skaal materiale inspireer en fassineer wetenskaplikes al vir meer as 25 jaar as gevolg van hulle wye verskeidenheid toepassings bv.: die vervoer van geneesmiddels, weefsel ontwerp, geheue stoorspasie, digitale skerms, klank toerusting, geleiers, ens. π-Gekonjugeerde dendrimere het 'n plat drie dimmensionele rangskikking. 'n Afwisselende feniel isoxazole dendrimer stelsel was ontwikkel om hierdie verskynsel te ondersoek. Die sintese van hierdie dendritiese stelsel is aangepak deur divergerende en konvergerende benaderings. Sintese van die tweede generasie het misluk omdat sommige funksionele groepe die monomere geïnhibeer het om te reageer met die eerste generasie. Ander interessante voorbeelde van nano materiale, is die sogenaamde skyfvormige amphiphiles. Skyfvormige amphiphiles het die potensiaal om spontaan te versamel in heliese strukture. Skyfvormige molekules met chirale polêre sykettings (een en drie onderskeidelik) is ontwikkel. Hulle potensiaal om spontaan te versamel is ondersoek met wisselende konsentrasie en wisselende oplosmiddel samestelling eksperimente. Hierdie stelsels het tekens van versameling gewys in UV-vis en CD-spektroskopiese eksperimente. Staaf-vormige heliese strukture is waargeneem met transmissie-elektronmikroskopie.