Copper(I)-Iodide Clusters as Carriers for Regulating and Visualizing Release of Aroma Molecules

Achieving the controlled release of functional substances is indispensable in many aspects of life. Especially for the aroma molecules, their effective delivery of flavor and fragrance is challenging. Here, selected pyridines, as highly volatile odorants, were individually coordinated with copper(I) iodide (Cu^II) via a straightforward one-pot synthesis method, rapidly forming pure or even crystalline Cu^II cluster-based profragrances at room temperature. The obtained profragrances enabled the stable and high loading of volatile fragrances under ambient conditions and guaranteed their long-lasting release during heating. Furthermore, the intrinsic emission luminescence of these solid-state profragrances decayed along with the aroma release, which can serve as an additional indicator for monitoring the delivery process. This research sets a precedent for using Cu^II clusters as dual-purpose release agents and greatly expands their potential applications.