Multifunctional coordination polymers based on copper with modified nucleobases, easily modulated in size and...

Area of Science:

• Coordination Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

• Coordination polymers (CPs) offer tunable structures and properties.
• Nucleobases can be incorporated into CPs to create functional materials.
• Copper ions are versatile in forming CPs with diverse oxidation states and properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel mono- and bidimensional coordination polymers (CPs) using Cu(I)/Cu(II) and nucleobase derivatives.
• To investigate the structural, magnetic, and semiconducting properties of the synthesized CPs.
• To explore methods for tuning the size and enhancing the conductivity of these CPs.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of three coordination polymers (CP1, CP2, CP3) using copper salts, thymine and uracil-1-acetate (TAcO, UAcO), 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bpy), and oxalate.
• Structural characterization of CPs, focusing on non-canonical hydrogen bonds between nucleobases.
• Investigation of magnetic and semiconducting properties of CP1.
• Iodine doping of CP1 to enhance electrical conductivity.
• Modulation of CP size via crystallization conditions and ultrasound treatment.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of three novel CPs with varying dimensionality.
• Supramolecular structures stabilized by non-canonical hydrogen bonds between nucleobase moieties.
• CP1 exhibits magnetism and semiconducting properties due to Cu(II) centers.
• Iodine doping of CP1 increased electrical conductivity by two orders of magnitude.
• Material size can be controlled from millimeters to the nanoscale.

Conclusions:

• Novel copper-based coordination polymers incorporating nucleobases were successfully synthesized.
• The CPs exhibit interesting magnetic and semiconducting properties, particularly CP1.
• Iodine doping offers a route to significantly enhance the electrical conductivity of these materials.
• Tunable size control presents opportunities for diverse applications.