Constructing Flexible Crystalline Porous Organic Salts via a Zwitterionic Strategy

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Crystallography

Background:

• Crystalline porous organic salts (CPOSs) are distinguished by unique ionic channels and polar pore structures.
• Conventional CPOS synthesis relies on a monoionic strategy, introducing separate anionic and cationic building units, which increases complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of a zwitterionic strategy for constructing CPOSs using a single building unit.
• To simplify CPOS synthesis and enable precise control over material properties.

Main Methods:

• Utilized stereoisomeric compounds (TPE-NS-Z or TPE-NS-E) with both anionic and cationic groups as a single building unit.
• Employed a zwitterionic strategy for CPOS construction.
• Analyzed crystal structure, including stacking modes and ionic interaction networks.

Main Results:

• Successfully constructed CPOSs using the zwitterionic strategy, simplifying the preparation process.
• Achieved precise control over CPOS properties by fine-tuning the building units.
• Discovered a special parallel/vertical alternated stacking mode in CPOS-E, leading to flexible pore characteristics.
• Demonstrated multitime controllable release of highly polar chemicals in different solvents using CPOS-E.

Conclusions:

• The zwitterionic strategy is a viable and advantageous approach for synthesizing CPOSs.
• This novel strategy simplifies synthesis, enhances control over material properties, and facilitates the study of aggregation behavior.
• The unique structural features of CPOS-E enable controlled release of polar chemicals, opening avenues for advanced applications.