Multi component self-assembly: supramolecular organic frameworks containing metal-rotaxane subunits (RSOFs)

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs) are advanced materials with tunable properties.
• Rotaxanes, mechanically interlocked molecules, offer unique structural and functional characteristics.
• Developing efficient synthetic routes for complex supramolecular architectures remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a facile, one-pot synthesis for rotaxanated supramolecular organic frameworks (RSOFs).
• To demonstrate the use of trivalent metal cations for stabilizing these complex structures.
• To explore the formation of three-dimensional RSOFs.

Main Methods:

• One-pot synthesis approach.
• Utilizing bis-carboxylate anions and tetraimidazolium macrocycles.
• Employing trivalent metal cations (yttrium(III) and lanthanides) as locking agents.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of RSOFs in a single reaction vessel.
• Demonstrated effective locking of bis-carboxylate anions within tetraimidazolium macrocycles by metal cations.
• Formation of stable, three-dimensional RSOF structures.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides an efficient route to RSOFs.
• Trivalent metal cations are effective for constructing robust rotaxanated frameworks.
• This work expands the toolkit for designing and synthesizing complex supramolecular materials.