Self‐Assembly and (Hydro)gelation Triggered by Cooperative π–π and Unconventional CH⋅⋅⋅X Hydrogen Bonding Interactions

Weak C? H???X hydrogen bonds are important stabilizing forces in crystal engineering and anion recognition in solution. In contrast, their quantitative influence on the stabilization of supramolecular polymers or gels has thus far remained unexplored. Herein, we report an oligophenyleneethynylene (OPE)‐based amphiphilic Pt^II complex that forms supramolecular polymeric structures in aqueous and polar media driven by π–π and different weak C‐H???X (X=Cl, O) interactions involving chlorine atoms attached to the Pt^II centers as well as oxygen atoms and polarized methylene groups belonging to the peripheral glycol chains. A collection of experimental techniques (UV/Vis, 1D and 2D NMR, DLS, AFM, SEM, and X‐Ray diffraction) demonstrate that the interplay between different weak noncovalent interactions leads to the cooperative formation of self‐assembled structures of high aspect ratio and gels in which the molecular arrangement is maintained in the crystalline state.     

Dipyrrolyldiketone PtII Complexes: Ion-Pairing π-Electronic Systems with Various Anion-Binding Modes

A variety of π-electronic ion-pairing assemblies can be constructed by combining anion complexes of π-electronic systems and countercations. In this study, a series of anion-responsive π-electronic molecules, dipyrrolyldiketone Pt^II complexes containing a phenylpyridine ligand, were synthesized. The resulting Pt^II complexes exhibited phosphorescence emission, with higher emission quantum yields (0.30–0.42) and microsecond-order lifetimes, and solution-state anion binding, as revealed by our spectroscopic analyses. These Pt^II complexes displayed solid-state ion-pairing assemblies, exhibiting various anion-binding modes, which derived from pyrrole-inverted and pyrrole-non-inverted conformations, and packing structures, with the contribution of charge-by-charge assemblies, which were dependent on the substituents in the Pt^II complexes and the geometries and electronic states of their countercations.     

Supramolecular Polymers Self‐Assembled from trans‐Bis(pyridine) Dichloropalladium(II) and Platinum(II) Complexes

Two structurally similar trans‐bis(pyridine) dichloropalladium(II)‐ and platinum(II)‐type complexes were synthesized and characterized. They both self‐assemble in n‐hexane to form viscous fluids at lower concentrations, but form metallogels at sufficient concentrations. The viscous solutions were studied by capillary viscosity measurements and UV/Vis absorption spectra monitored during the disassembly process indicated that a metallophilic interaction was involved in the supramolecular polymerization process. For the two supramolecular assemblies, uncommon continuous porous networks were observed by using SEM and TEM revealed that they were built from nanofibers that fused and crosslinked with the increase of concentration. The xerogels of the palladium and platinum complexes were carefully studied by using synchrotron radiation WAXD and EXAFS. The WAXD data show close stacking distances driven by π–π and metal–metal interactions and an evident dimer structure for the platinum complex was found. The coordination bond lengths were extracted from fitting of the EXAFS data. Moreover, close Pt^II–Pt^II (Pd^II–Pd^II) and Pt?Cl (Pd?Cl) interactions proposed from DFT calculations in the reported oligo(phenylene ethynylene) (OPE)‐based palladium(II) pyridyl supramolecular polymers were also confirmed by using EXAFS. The Pt^II–Pt^II interaction is more feasible for supramolecular interaction than the Pd^II–Pd^II interaction in our simple case.     

Influence of Metal,Ligand and Solvent on Supramolecular Polymerizations with Transition‐Metal Compounds: A Theoretical Study

The nature of intermolecular interactions governing supramolecular polymerizations is very important for controlling their cooperativity. In order to address this problem, supramolecular columns made of Pt^II and Pd^II complexes of oligo(phenylene ethynylene)‐based pyridine (OPE) and tetrazolylpyridine ligands (TEP) were investigated through the dispersion‐corrected PM6 method. Aromatic, CH–π, M–Cl and metallophilic interactions helped stabilize the supramolecules studied, and their geometries and associated cooperativities were in excellent agreement with experimental data. The OPE ligand and/or the presence of Pt^II led to stronger metallophilic interactions and also to cooperative supramolecular polymerizations, which clearly suggests that metallophilic interactions are a key factor for controlling cooperativity. The results indicate that sequential monomer addition is in general less spontaneous than the combination of two larger preformed stacks. The present theoretical investigations contribute to the further understanding of the relation between the thermodynamics of supramolecular polymerizations and the nature of different synthons.     

Construction of Discrete Pentanuclear Platinum(II) Stacks with Extended Metal–Metal Interactions by Using Phosphorescent Platinum(II) Tweezers

Discrete pentanuclear Pt^II stacks were prepared by the host‐guest adduct formation between multinuclear tweezer‐type Pt^II complexes. The formation of the Pt^II stacks in solution was accompanied by color changes and the turning on of near‐infrared emission resulting from Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt and π–π interactions. The X‐ray crystal structure revealed the formation of a discrete 1:1 adduct, in which a linear stack of five Pt^II centers with extended Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt interactions was observed. Additional binding affinity and stability have been achieved through a multinuclear host‐guest system. The binding behaviors can be fine‐tuned by varying the spacer between the two Pt^II moieties in the guests. This work provides important insights for the construction of discrete higher‐order supramolecular metal‐ligand aggregates using a tweezer‐directed approach.     

Structure–Property Relationships in Bithiophenes with Hydrogen-Bonded Substituents

The use of crystal engineering to control the supramolecular arrangement of π-conjugated molecules in the solid-state is of considerable interest for the development of novel organic electronic materials. In this study, we investigated the effect of combining of two types of supramolecular interaction with different geometric requirements, amide hydrogen bonding and π-interactions, on the π-overlap between calamitic π-conjugated cores. To this end, we prepared two series of bithiophene diesters and diamides with methylene, ethylene, or propylene spacers between the bithiophene core and the functional groups in their terminal substituents. The hydrogen-bonded bithiophene diamides showed significantly denser packing of the bithiophene cores than the diesters and other known α,ω-disubstituted bithiophenes. The bithiophene packing density reach a maximum in the bithiophene diamide with an ethylene spacer, which had the smallest longitudinal bithiophene displacement and infinite 1D arrays of electronically conjugated, parallel, and almost linear N−H⋅⋅⋅O=C hydrogen bonds. The synergistic hydrogen bonding and π-interactions were attributed to the favorable conformation mechanics of the ethylene spacer and resulted in H-type spectroscopic aggregates in solid-state absorption spectroscopy. These results demonstrate that the optoelectronic properties of π-conjugated materials in the solid-state may be tailored systematically by side-chain engineering, and hence that this approach has significant potential for the design of organic and polymer semiconductors.     

Double Chalcogen Bonds: Crystal Engineering Stratagems via Diffraction and Multinuclear Solid-State Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Group 16 chalcogens potentially provide Lewis-acidic σ-holes, which are able to form attractive supramolecular interactions with electron rich partners through chalcogen bonds. Here, a multifaceted experimental and computational study of a large series of novel chalcogen-bonded cocrystals, prepared using the principles of crystal engineering, is presented. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that dicyanoselenadiazole and dicyanotelluradiazole derivatives work as promising supramolecular synthons with the ability to form double chalcogen bonds with a wide range of electron donors including halides and oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles. Extensive ⁷⁷Se and ¹²⁵Te solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic investigations of cocrystals establish correlations between the NMR parameters of selenium and tellurium and the local chalcogen bonding geometry. The relationships between the electronic environment of the chalcogen bond and the ⁷⁷Se and ¹²⁵Te chemical shift tensors were elucidated through a natural localized molecular orbital density functional theory analysis. This systematic study of chalcogen-bond-based crystal engineering lays the foundations for the preparation of the various multicomponent systems and establishes solid-state NMR protocols to detect these interactions in powdered materials.     

Pathway Control in Cooperative vs. Anti‐Cooperative Supramolecular Polymers

Controlling the nanoscale morphology in assemblies of π‐conjugated molecules is key to developing supramolecular functional materials. Here, we report an unsymmetrically substituted amphiphilic Pt^II complex 1 that shows unique self‐assembly behavior in nonpolar media, providing two competing anti‐cooperative and cooperative pathways with distinct molecular arrangement (long‐ vs. medium‐slipped, respectively) and nanoscale morphology (discs vs. fibers, respectively). With a thermodynamic model, we unravel the competition between the anti‐cooperative and cooperative pathways: buffering of monomers into small‐sized, anti‐cooperative species affects the formation of elongated assemblies, which might open up new strategies for pathway control in self‐assembly. Our findings reveal that side‐chain immiscibility is an efficient method to control anti‐cooperative assemblies and pathway complexity in general.     

Fluorescent Linear Supramolecular Polymer Based on Host‐Guest Interactions

Construction of supramolecular polymers, in which functional monomer components are held together by noncovalent interactions, is considered as a promising design principle for functional materials. Linear fluorescent supramolecular polymer assembled on account of electrostatic attractions based host‐guest interaction is synthesized and illustrated here. ¹H NMR was involved to ensure the structure of guest and polymer, UV –vis and fluorescent spectra were recorded to be a readout signal to investigate the assemble process of polymer. TEM and AFM measurements were carried out to confirm the homogeneous nanometer‐sized molecular assembly. It shows the way to be used as remote readout fluorescent functional material in the future.     

Excited-State THz Vibrations in Aggregates of PtII Complexes Contribute to the Enhancement of Near-Infrared Emission Efficiencies**

The exploration of deactivation mechanisms for near-infrared(NIR)-emissive organic molecules has been a key issue in chemistry, materials science and molecular biology. In this study, based on transient absorption spectroscopy and transient grating photoluminescence spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the aggregated Pt^II complex 4H (efficient NIR emitter) exhibits collective out-of-plane motions with a frequency of 32 cm⁻¹ (0.96 THz) in the excited states. Importantly, similar THz characteristics were also observed in analogous Pt^II complexes with prominent NIR emission efficiency. The conservation of THz motions enables excited-state deactivation to proceed along low-frequency vibrational coordinates, contributing to the suppression of nonradiative decay and remarkable NIR emission. These novel results highlight the significance of excited-state vibrations in nonradiative processes, which serve as a benchmark for improving device performance.     

Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Properties of Aggregation-Enhanced Emission-Active Unsymmetrical PtII Metallomesogens through Self-Assembly

Herein, we report a series of unsymmetrical bispyrazolate-type Pt^II compounds that exhibit mesomorphism at low temperatures and photophysical multi-stimuli-responsive properties. These Pt^II compounds show a great ability to be self-assembled by intermolecular Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt interactions in the solid state, so generating a columnar stacking of molecules that is responsible for the formation of the mesophases. By controlling the nature of the molecular assembly through external stimuli such as the temperature, the pressure, or the presence of vapours or solvents, it is possible to modulate the luminescence behaviour of these materials. The Pt^II monomers emit a greenish light, whereas aggregation of molecules produces a redshifted emission. These metallomesogens also show a high stability and successive grinding/fuming cycles can be performed without degradation of the sample. The application of these materials is very attractive as rewritable luminescent platforms, and their use is already demonstrated.     

Synergistic Effects of Metals in a Promising RuII−PtII Assembly for a Combined Anticancer Approach: Theoretical Exploration of the Photophysical Properties

Ru^II?Pt^II complexes are a class of bioactive molecules of interest as anticancer agents that combine a light‐absorbing chromophore with a cisplatin‐like unit. The results of a DFT and TDDFT investigation of a Ru^II complex and its conjugate with a cis‐PtCl₂ moiety reveal that a synergistic effect of the metals makes the assembly a promising multitarget anticancer drug. Inspection of type I and type II photoreactions and spin–orbit coupling computations reveals that the cis‐PtCl₂ moiety improves the photophysical properties of the Ru^II chromophore, ensuring efficient singlet oxygen generation and making the assembly suitable for photodynamic therapy. At the same time, the Ru^II chromophore promotes a new alternative activation mechanism of the Pt^II ligand via a triplet metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (³M LCT) state, before reaching the biological target. The importance of the supramolecular architecture is accurately derived, opening interesting new perspectives on the use of bimetallic Ru^II?Pt^II assemblies in a combined anticancer approach.     

Controlling the Assembly of Cellulose-Based Oligosaccharides through Sequence Modifications

Peptides and nucleic acids with programmable sequences are widely explored for the production of tunable, self-assembling functional materials. Herein we demonstrate that the primary sequence of oligosaccharides can be designed to access materials with tunable shapes and properties. Synthetic cellulose-based oligomers were assembled into 2D or 3D rod-like crystallites. Sequence modifications within the oligosaccharide core influenced the molecular packing and led to the formation of square-like assemblies based on the rare cellulose IV_II allomorph. In contrast, modifications at the termini generated elongated aggregates with tunable surfaces, resulting in self-healing supramolecular hydrogels.     

Control over the Self‐Assembly Modes of PtII Complexes by Alkyl Chain Variation: From Slipped to Parallel π‐Stacks

We report the self‐assembly of a new family of hydrophobic, bis(pyridyl) Pt^II complexes featuring an extended oligophenyleneethynylene‐derived π‐surface appended with six long (dodecyloxy ( 2 )) or short (methoxy ( 3 )) side groups. Complex 2 , containing dodecyloxy chains, forms fibrous assemblies with a slipped arrangement of the monomer units (d_Pt???Pt≈14 Å) in both nonpolar solvents and the solid state. Dispersion‐corrected PM6 calculations suggest that this organization is driven by cooperative π–π, C?H???Cl and π–Pt interactions, which is supported by EXAFS and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis. In contrast, nearly parallel π‐stacks (d_Pt???Pt≈4.4 Å) stabilized by multiple π–π and C?H???Cl contacts are obtained in the crystalline state for 3 lacking long side chains, as shown by X‐ray analysis and PM6 calculations. Our results reveal not only the key role of alkyl chain length in controlling self‐assembly modes but also show the relevance of Pt‐bound chlorine ligands as new supramolecular synthons.     

Development of a Pre‐assembled Through‐Bond Energy Transfer (TBET) Fluorescent Probe for Ratiometric Sensing of Anticancer Platinum(ll) Complexes

Fluorescence microscopy has emerged as an attractive technique to probe the intracellular processing of Pt‐based anticancer compounds. Herein, we reported the first through‐bond energy transfer (TBET) fluorescent probe NPR1 designed for sensitive detection and quantitation of Pt^II complexes. The novel TBET probe was successfully applied for ratiometric fluorescence imaging of anticancer Pt^II complexes such as cisplatin and JM118 in cells. Capitalizing on the ability of the probe to discriminate between Pt^II complexes and their Pt^IV derivatives, the probe was further applied to study the activation of Pt^IV prodrug complexes that are known to release active Pt^II species after intracellular reduction.     

ACQ-to-AIE Transformation: Tuning Molecular Packing by Regioisomerization for Two-Photon NIR Bioimaging

The traditional design strategies for highly bright solid-state luminescent materials rely on weakening the intermolecular π–π interactions, which may limit diversity when developing new materials. Herein, we propose a strategy of tuning the molecular packing mode by regioisomerization to regulate the solid-state fluorescence. TBP-e-TPA with a molecular rotor in the end position of a planar core adopts a long-range cofacial packing mode, which in the solid state is almost non-emissive. By shifting molecular rotors to the bay position, the resultant TBP-b-TPA possesses a discrete cross packing mode, giving a quantum yield of 15.6±0.2 %. These results demonstrate the relationship between the solid-state fluorescence efficiency and the molecule's packing mode. Thanks to the good photophysical properties, TBP-b-TPA nanoparticles were used for two-photon deep brain imaging. This molecular design philosophy provides a new way of designing highly bright solid-state fluorophores.     

Palladium(II) and Platinum(II) Complexes of N-Phenyl- and N-Ethyl-N′-pyrimidin-2-ylthiourea

Palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes of N-ethyl-N′-pyrimidin-2-ylthiourea(HL¹) and N-phenyl-N′-pyrimidin-2-ylthiourea (HL²) have been prepared, and the complexes [M(HL)Cl₂], [Pt(L)₂], [Pd(HL¹)₂]Cl₂, and [Pd(L²)₂] (where M = Pd^II or Pt^II) were characterized. The spectroscopic data are consistent with coordination of thioureas as neutral or monoanionic ligands to Pd^II and Pt^II through S and a pyrimidine-N. The IR spectra show shifts of CS and pyrimidine ring stretch bands to lower and higher frequencies, respectively. The ¹H NMR spectra differentiate between H(4′) and H(6′) resonances and indicate downfield shifts for all protons of pyrimidine [H(4′), H(5′), and H(6′)], two resonances for two N?H protons for complexes containing the neutral ligand (HL), and only one N?H proton chemical shift for complexes containing the monoanion (L). ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of pyrimidine carbons are correlated with the type of bonding between Pd^II or Pt^II and pyrimidine-N. The magnetic susceptibilities suggest a diamagnetic planar structure for all complexes.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

Solvent-specific reduction of Na<Subscript>2</Subscript>PtI<Subscript>6</Subscript> in acetone

Oxidation state of iodide complexes of Pt^II and Pt^IV in large excess of NaI with respect to platinum in water and acetone solution has been determined by means of ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR spectroscopy. In acetone, iodide complexes of Pt^IV are almost quantitatively reduced into Pt^II, and iodine is bound in a poorly soluble polymeric complex with sodium iodide and acetone. Iodometric titration has revealed the formation of equivalent amount of iodine. Reduction of platinum has not been observed in aqueous medium.     

Mechanistic Insights into Statistical Co-Assembly of Metal Complexes

Statistical copolymerization plays a key role in many biological and technological processes; however, mechanistic understanding of the formation of analogous supramolecular counterparts remains limited. Herein, we report detailed insights into the supramolecular co-assembly of two π-conjugated Pd^II and Pt^II complexes, which in isolation self-assemble into flexible fibers and nanodisks, respectively. An efficient single-step co-assembly into only one type of nanostructure (fibers or nanodisks) takes place if any of the components is in excess. In contrast, equimolar mixtures lead to Pd^II-rich fiber-like co-assemblies by a statistical co-nucleation event along with a residual amount of self-sorted nanodisks in a stepwise manner.     

Energy Transfer in a Hybrid IrIII Carbene–PtII Acetylide Assembly for Efficient Hydrogen Production

A new heterometallic supramolecular complex, consisting of an iridium carbene‐based unit appended to a platinum terpyridine acetylide unit, representing a new Ir^III–Pt^II structural motif, was designed and developed to act as an active species for photocatalytic hydrogen production. The results also suggested that a light‐harvesting process is essential to realize the solar‐to‐fuel conversion in an artificial system as illustrated in the natural photosynthetic system.