Outer Surface Interactions of Cucurbit[6]uril That Trigger the Assembly of Supramolecular Three-Dimensional...

A supramolecular polycatenane stabilized by outer surface interactions between cucurbit[6]uril (Q[6] or CB[6]) cations and [CdCl₄ ]^2- is reported. The arrangement of the poly-interlocked supramolecular framework is evidently constructed by a favorable combination of weak non-covalent interactions such as hydrophobic effects, hydrogen bonding, ion-dipole interactions, and C-H⋅⋅⋅Cl interactions in the solid state. Further study suggests that such 3D poly-interlocked species could be rapidly precipitated from the mixture solution in high yield owing to electrostatic interaction of the [CdCl₄ ]^2- anion with the electropositive outer surface of Q[6] host. This work thus demonstrates a simple, low-cost, and efficient non-covalent approach for the construction of a infinite 3D interlocked structure in water besides through coordination or covalent bonds.