Hexameric Lanthanide-Organic Capsules with Tertiary Structure and Emergent Functions

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Lanthanide Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Biological macromolecules self-assemble via noncovalent interactions.
• Artificial supramolecular assemblies can form higher-order structures with emergent functions.
• Lanthanide triple helicates are building blocks for advanced materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the first example of insulin-like hexamerization of lanthanide triple helicates.
• To investigate hierarchical chiral-sorting self-assembly processes.
• To explore emergent functions like guest encapsulation and enantioselectivity.

Main Methods:

• Metal-directed and anion-directed assembly processes were employed.
• Hierarchical self-assembly strategy was utilized.
• Characterization of the hexameric capsule and its functions.

Main Results:

• Formation of a 4 nm diameter hexameric capsule from lanthanide triple helicates.
• Achieved aggregation-induced stability and emission enhancement.
• Demonstrated emergent guest-encapsulation and enantioselectivity for terpene drugs.

Conclusions:

• Developed a feasible strategy for constructing sophisticated lanthanide-organic materials.
• The hexameric capsule exhibits emergent functions not present in individual components.
• Provides insights into self-assembly processes observed in nature.