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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Superior anion induced shuttling behaviour exhibited by a halogen bonding two station rotaxane
Timothy A Barendt1, Sean W Robinson1, Paul D Beer1
1Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , 12, Mansfield Road , Oxford , OX1 3TA , UK . Email: paul.beer@chem.ox.ac.uk ; ; Tel: +44 (0)1865 285142.
Abstract:
Two bistable halogen and hydrogen bonding-naphthalene diimide [2]rotaxanes have been prepared and the system incorporating a halogen bond donor anion recognition site is demonstrated to exhibit superior anion induced translational motion of the macrocyclic wheel component relative to the hydrogen bonding analogue. Proton NMR spectroscopy is used to estimate the percentage occupancies of the macrocycle at the respective station and importantly indicates that the halogen bonding rotaxane displays superior positional integrity in competitive protic solvent media as a consequence of strong halogen bond-halide anion binding interactions.
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