Solvent-assisted formation of vesicles by a self-assembling Ni3-Schiff base complex

Area of Science:

• Coordination Chemistry
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Schiff base ligands are versatile in coordinating metal ions.
• Metal complexes can exhibit interesting self-assembly properties.
• The development of novel carriers for molecular encapsulation is of significant interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a linear trinuclear nickel-Schiff base complex.
• To investigate the self-assembly behavior of the complex in solid state and solution.
• To evaluate the potential of the complex's self-assembled structures as carriers for dye molecules.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of the trinuclear nickel-Schiff base complex using Ni(ClO(4))(2).6H(2)O, phenyl acetic acid, and H(2)salpen.
• Characterization of solid-state architecture using hydrogen bonding and C-H-pi interactions.
• Formation and characterization of vesicles in dichloromethane (CH(2)Cl(2)) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
• Assessment of dye encapsulation using confocal microscopy and electronic absorption spectra.

Main Results:

• A linear trinuclear nickel-Schiff base complex, [Ni(3)(salpen)(2)(PhCH(2)COO)(2)(EtOH)], was successfully synthesized.
• The complex self-assembles into sheet-like architectures in the solid state.
• In CH(2)Cl(2), the complex forms vesicles (mean diameter 290 nm) and fused vesicles, demonstrating concentration-dependent self-assembly.
• These nickel-Schiff base vesicles effectively encapsulate and carry dye molecules.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized nickel-Schiff base complex exhibits unique self-assembly capabilities.
• The complex can form functional vesicles capable of molecular encapsulation.
• This study highlights the potential of metal-Schiff base complexes in developing novel carrier systems.