Doubly Dynamic Self‐Healing Materials Based on Oxime Click Chemistry and Boronic Acids

The dynamic covalent characteristics of oxime and boronate ester bonds have been explored. A small excess of a competing aldehyde under acidic conditions resulted in oxime polymer degradation from high molecular weights (30 kDa) to low molecular weight oligomers (2.2 kDa). The dynamic nature of oxime bonds imparts oxime cross‐linked hydrogels with self‐healing properties and the incorporation of phenyl boronic acid groups into the hydrogel network provides a platform for hydrogel functionalization. The addition of a polyphenol (tannic acid) proves a facile means to incorporate a second, dynamic covalent cross‐linking network through boronate ester formation which, owing to the increase in the degree of cross‐linking, is found to be nearly double the hydrogel strength (storage modulus increased from 4.6 to 8.5 kPa). Finally, the tannic acid cross‐linking network is selectively degraded returning the hydrogel storage modulus to its initial value and providing a means for the synthesis of materials with tunable mechanical properties.

     

Chemoselective Boronic Ester Synthesis by Controlled Speciation

Control of boronic acid solution speciation is presented as a new strategy for the chemoselective synthesis of boronic esters. Manipulation of the solution equilibria within a cross‐coupling milieu enables the formal homologation of aryl and alkenyl boronic acid pinacol esters. The generation of a new, reactive boronic ester in the presence of an active palladium catalyst also facilitates streamlined iterative catalytic C? C bond formation and provides a method for the controlled oligomerization of sp²‐hybridized boronic esters.     

Surface‐Dependent Chemoselectivity in C−C Coupling Reactions

Surface‐confined covalent coupling reactions of the linear compound 4‐(but‐3‐en‐1‐ynyl)‐4′‐ethynyl‐1,1′‐biphenyl ( 1 ), which contains one alkyne and one enyne group on opposing ends, have been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The reactions show a surface‐dependent chemoselectivity: on Au(111), compound 1 preferentially yields cyclotrimerization products, while on Cu(111), a selective coupling between the enyne and alkyne groups is observed. Linear, V‐shaped string formations combined with Y‐shaped bifurcation motifs result in a random reticulation on the entire surface. DFT calculations show that the C?H???π^δ? transition state of the reaction between the deprotonated alkyne group and a nearby H‐donor of the alkene group plays a key role in the mechanism and high chemoselectivity. This study highlights a concept that opens new avenues to the surface‐confined synthesis of covalent carbon‐based sp–sp² polymers.     

Design,synthesis, in silico analysis with PPAR‐γ receptor and study of non‐covalent interactions in unsymmetrical heterocyclic/phenyl fleximer

This work deals with the design, synthesis, in silico analysis, crystallization, and the interpretation 2‐cyano‐3‐{4‐[2‐(phthalimid‐nyl)‐propoxy]‐phenyl}‐acrylic acid ethyl ester (7). Analog 7 is designed based on rosiglitazone. The quantitative analysis of Compound 7 has been performed through single‐crystal X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Hirshfeld surface analysis. Fleximer 7 has studied the role of flexibility in non‐covalent interactions and binding affinity with PPAR‐γ receptors. Both phthalimide ring and phenyl rings are linked with propylene linker. 2‐cyano‐3‐{4‐[2‐(phthalimid‐nyl)‐propoxy]‐phenyl}‐acrylic acid ethyl ester has Z = 8 in the crystal packing and stabilized by intermolecular non‐covalent interactions like C? H…O, C? H…N, C? H…л, and л…л, and so forth.     

Inclusion of Two Different Guest Molecules within a Rationally Designed Macrocyclic Boronic Ester in Organic Solvent

The inclusion of two different guest molecules in a macrocyclic boronic ester in organic solvent utilizing only π‐stacking interactions has been successfully realized. For this purpose, a new tetrol which has an appropriate distance between two 1,2‐diol units for the inclusion of two aromatic molecules is designed and synthesized. Simple mixing of the new tetrol with 2,7‐pyrenediboronic acid in the presence of pyrene‐4,5‐quinone efficiently affords the desired macrocyclic boronic ester, which is found by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, ESI‐MS, and isothermal titration calorimetry studies to include one molecule each of a dinitronaphthalimide derivative and pyrene. Furthermore, inclusion of two planar molecules within the macrocyclic boronic ester is revealed by X‐ray analysis.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free C(sp2)–C(sp2) Cross‐Coupling of Diazo Quinones with Catechol Boronic Esters

A transition‐metal‐free C(sp²)?C(sp²) bond formation reaction by the cross‐coupling of diazo quinones with catechol boronic esters was developed. With this protocol, a variety of biaryls and alkenyl phenols were obtained in good to high yields under mild conditions. The reaction tolerates various functionalities and is applicable to the derivatization of pharmaceuticals and natural products. The synthetic utility of the method was demonstrated by the short synthesis of multi‐substituted triphenylenes and three bioactive natural products, honokiol, moracin M, and stemofuran A. Mechanistic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the reaction involves attack of the boronic ester by a singlet quinone carbene followed by a 1,2‐rearrangement through a stepwise mechanism.     

Complex Functional Systems with Three Different Types of Dynamic Covalent Bonds

Multicomponent surface architectures are introduced that operate with three different dynamic covalent bonds. Disulfide exchange under basic conditions accounts for the growth of π stacks on solid surfaces. Hydrazone exchange under acidic conditions is used to add a second coaxial string or stack, and boronic ester exchange under neutral conditions is used to co‐align a third one. The newly introduced boronic ester exchange chemistry is compatible with stack and string exchange without interference from the orthogonal hydrazone and disulfide exchange. The functional relevance of surface architectures with three different dynamic covalent bonds is exemplified with the detection of polyphenol natural products, such as epigallocatechin gallate, in competition experiments with alizarin red. These results describe synthetic strategies to create functional systems of unprecedented sophistication with regard to dynamic covalent chemistry.     

Facile Synthesis of Boronic Acid‐Functionalized Magnetic Mesoporous Silica Nanocomposites for Highly Specific Enrichment of Glycopeptides

In the work, aminophenylboronic acid (APB)‐functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica, which holds the attractive features of high magnetic responsivity and large surface area, was developed to enrich glycopeptides. At first, magnetic mesoporous silica nanocomposites were prepared. And then, the nanocomposites were functioned with glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GLYMO) for boronic acid immobilization. Due to that the boronic acid group on the surface of magnetic mesoporous silica nanocomposites can form tight yet reversible covalent bond with glycopeptides containing cis‐1,2‐diols groups, the magnetic mesoporous silica nanocomposites were successfully applied to selective enrichment of glycopeptides. APB functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica was also demonstrated to have high selectivity for the glycopeptides in the presence of a 10‐fold excess bovine serum albumin (BSA) over horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the tryptic digest. We also find that magnetic mesoporous silica has better sensitivity in HRP digest compared with that of commercial aminophenylboronic acid‐functionalized magnetic nanoparticles beads. The limit of detection for glycopeptides from glycoprotein HRP is about 0.01 ng/µL.     

Switchable Surface Wettability by Using Boronic Ester Chemistry

Here, we report for the first time the use of a boronic ester as an efficient tool for reversible surface post‐functionalization. The boronic ester bond allows surfaces to be reversibly switched from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Based on the well‐known boronic acid/glycol affinity, this strategy offers the opportunity to play with surface hydrophobic properties by adding various boronic acids onto substrates bearing glycol groups. The post‐functionalization can then be reversed to regenerate the starting glycol surface. This pathway allows for the preparation of various switchable surfaces for a large range of applications in biosensors, liquid transportation, and separation membranes.     

Dynamic-covalent macromolecular stars with boronic ester linkages

Macromolecular stars containing reversible boronic ester linkages were prepared by an arm-first approach by reacting well-defined boronic acid-containing block copolymers with multifunctional 1,2/1,3-diols. Homopolymers of 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid (APBA) formed macroscopic dynamic-covalent networks when cross-linked with multifunctional diols. On the other hand, adding the diol cross-linkers to block copolymers of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide (PDMA))-b-poly(APBA) led to nanosized multiarm stars with boronic ester cores and PDMA coronas. The assembly of the stars under a variety of conditions was considered. The dynamic-covalent nature of the boronic ester cross-links allowed the stars to reconfigure their covalent structure in the presence of monofunctional diols that competed for bonding with the boronic acid component. Therefore, the stars could be induced to dissociate via competitive exchange reactions. The star formation-dissociation process was shown to be repeatable over multiple cycles.     

2‐(6‐Bromopyridin‐3‐yl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolane and (6‐bromopyridin‐3‐yl)boronic acid,new bifunctional building blocks for combinatorial chemistry

The first comparative study between two new heterocyclic boron derivatives, viz. a (6‐bromo­pyridin‐3‐yl)­boronic ester, C₁₁H₁₅BBrNO₂, and (6‐bromo­pyridin‐3‐yl)­boronic acid, C₅H₅BBrNO₂, shows a small but not significant difference in their C—B bond lengths, which cannot explain the experimentally observed difference in their stabilities. The crystal packing of the boronic ester consists principally of van der Waals interactions, while the boronic acid mol­ecules interact in their crystal through hydrogen bonds.     

Facile Chan‐Lam coupling using ferrocene tethered N‐heterocyclic carbene‐copper complex anchored on graphene

Ferrocene tethered N‐heterocyclic carbene‐copper complex anchored on graphene ([GrFemImi]NHC@Cu complex) has been synthesized by covalent grafting of ferrocenyl ionic liquid in the matrix of graphene followed by metallation with copper (I) iodide. The [GrFemImi]NHC@Cu complex has been characterized by fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), fourier transform Raman (FT‐Raman), CP‐MAS ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) analysis, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis and X‐ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis. This novel complex served as a robust heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of bioactive N‐aryl sulfonamides from variety of aryl boronic acids and sulfonyl azides in ethanol by Chan‐Lam coupling. Recyclability experiments were executed successfully for six consecutive runs.     

Lithium aminoborohydrides 17. Palladium catalyzed borylation of aryl iodides, bromides, and triflates with diisopropylaminoborane prepared from lithium diisopropylaminoborohydride

The Alcaraz-Vaultier borylation of aryl halides and triflates is reported utilizing diisopropylaminoborane (BH₂N(ⁱPr)₂) prepared from the corresponding lithium aminoborohydride (LAB reagent). BH₂N(ⁱPr)₂, prepared by reacting lithium diisopropylaminoborohydride with trimethylsilyl chloride, provided the most consistent isolated yields from this reaction. Catalytic amounts of palladium dichloride produced the highest yields from aryl iodides, while catalytic tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(chloroform) provided the best yields for aryl bromides and triflates. This route to boronic acids is mild enough to tolerate various functionalities and for the first time employs aryl triflates as substrates for the Alcaraz-Vaultier borylation. In addition, it was found that both boronic acid and ester compounds could be isolated from the reaction mixture utilizing simple work-up procedures. Treatment of the reaction intermediate with an acid/base work-up provided the corresponding boronic acid, while treating the same intermediate with a diol, such as neopentyl glycol, afforded the corresponding boronic ester.     

Tough,Reprocessable, and Recyclable Dynamic Covalent Polymers with Ultrastable Long-Lived Room-Temperature Phosphorescence

Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) polymers, whose emission can persist for a long period after photoexcitation, are of great importance for practical applications. Herein, dynamic covalent boronic ester linkages with internal B−N coordination are incorporated into a commercial epoxy matrix. The reversible dissociation of B−N bonds upon loading provides an efficient energy dissipation pathway for the epoxy network, while the rigid epoxy matrix can inhibit the quenching of triplet excitons in boronic esters. The obtained polymers exhibit enhanced mechanical toughness (12.26 MJ m⁻³), ultralong RTP (τ=540.4 ms), and shape memory behavior. Notably, there is no apparent decrease in the RTP property upon prolonged immersion in various solvents because the networks are robust. Moreover, the dynamic bonds endow the polymers with superior reprocessablity and recyclability. These novel properties have led to their potential application for information encryption and anti-counterfeiting.     

DOSY NMR as a tool for predicting optimal conditions for hydrogel formation: The case of a hyperbranched polyglycidol cross‐linked with boronic acids

This article demonstrates the utility of DOSY NMR for the determination of the optimal conditions for the efficient covalent, reversible cross‐linking of macromolecules in water for hydrogel formation. The studied model system was hyperbranched polyglycidol (HbPGL) containing numerous diol groups in peripheral regions and two types of boronic acids, that is, B(OH)₄^? and benzene‐1,4‐boronic diacid, as cross‐linking agents. Diffusion coefficient changes of a polymer in solution, under the influence of various concentrations of cross‐linking agent and pH, which influences the equilibrium of the reaction between boronic acids and diols, were recorded. These data are consistent with the rheological properties, namely the G′_max(ω) of hydrogels prepared under analogous conditions, from more concentrated solutions of HbPGL. This approach appears to be promising as it facilitates avoiding the loss of a large amount of polymer that is necessary for the elaboration of appropriate conditions for network formation in aqueous media. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2171–2178     

Precision Graphene Nanoribbon Heterojunctions by Chain-Growth Polymerization

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are considered promising candidates for next-generation nanoelectronics. In particular, GNR heterojunctions have received considerable attention due to their exotic topological electronic phases at the heterointerface. However, strategies for their precision synthesis remain at a nascent stage. Here, we report a novel chain-growth polymerization strategy that allows for constructing GNR heterojunction with N=9 armchair and chevron GNRs segments ( 9-AGNR/cGNR ). The synthesis involves a controlled Suzuki–Miyaura catalyst-transfer polymerization (SCTP) between 2-(6′-bromo-4,4′′-ditetradecyl-[1,1′:2′,1′′-terphenyl]-3′-yl) boronic ester ( M1 ) and 2-(7-bromo-9,12-diphenyl-10,11-bis(4-tetradecylphenyl)-triphenylene-2-yl) boronic ester ( M2 ), followed by the Scholl reaction of the obtained block copolymer ( poly-M1/M2 ) with controlled M_n (18 kDa) and narrow Đ (1.45). NMR and SEC analysis of poly-M1/M2 confirm the successful block copolymerization. The solution-mediated cyclodehydrogenation of poly-M1/M2 toward 9-AGNR/cGNR is unambiguously validated by FT-IR, Raman, and UV/Vis spectroscopies. Moreover, we also demonstrate the on-surface formation of pristine 9-AGNR/cGNR from the unsubstituted copolymer precursor, which is unambiguously characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).     

Two‐Dimensional Boronate Ester Covalent Organic Framework Thin Films with Large Single Crystalline Domains for a Neuromorphic Memory Device

Despite the recent progress in the synthesis of crystalline boronate ester covalent organic frameworks (BECOFs) in powder and thin‐film through solvothermal method and on‐solid‐surface synthesis, respectively, their applications in electronics, remain less explored due to the challenges in thin‐film processability and device integration associated with the control of film thickness, layer orientation, stability and crystallinity. Moreover, although the crystalline domain sizes of the powder samples can reach micrometer scale (up to ≈1.5 μm), the reported thin‐film samples have so far rather small crystalline domains up to 100 nm. Here we demonstrate a general and efficient synthesis of crystalline two‐dimensional (2D) BECOF films composed of porphyrin macrocycles and phenyl or naphthyl linkers (named as 2D BECOF‐PP or 2D BECOF‐PN ) by employing a surfactant‐monolayer‐assisted interfacial synthesis (SMAIS) on the water surface. The achieved 2D BECOF‐PP is featured as free‐standing thin film with large single‐crystalline domains up to ≈60 μm² and tunable thickness from 6 to 16 nm. A hybrid memory device composed of 2D BECOF‐PP film on silicon nanowire‐based field‐effect transistor is demonstrated as a bio‐inspired system to mimic neuronal synapses, displaying a learning–erasing–forgetting memory process.     

Polysiloxane‐Based Autonomic Self‐Healing Elastomers Obtained through Dynamic Boronic Ester Bonds Prepared by Thiol–Ene “Click” Chemistry

Cross‐linked silicone elastomers constructed with dynamic‐covalent boronic esters are first synthesized by photoinitiated radical thiol−ene “click” chemistry. The resultant samples can be cut with a sharp knife into two pieces and then healed via the reversibility of the boronic ester cross‐linkages to restore the original silicone sample within 30 min. Regulation of luminescent properties is achieved by incorporating organic dye into the elastomers through a “one‐pot” thiol–ene reaction. The proposed synthesis procedure demonstrates a new strategy to produce boronic acid silicone materials capable of self‐healing without external forces.

     

Readily Prepared Dynamic Hydrogels by Combining Phenyl Boronic Acid‐ and Maltose‐Modified Anionic Polysaccharides at Neutral pH

Dynamic covalent hydrogels are facilely prepared from biocompatible polysaccharides in physiological conditions by the formation of phenylboronate ester cross‐links. This is based on the simple mixing of carboxylate‐containing polysaccharides (i.e., hyaluronic acid or carboxymethylcellulose) modified with phenylboronic acid and maltose moieties according to mild coupling reactions performed in aqueous solution. The formation of dynamic networks based on reversible boronic‐ester cross‐links is demonstrated by analyzing their rheological behavior. This study shows that these gels can adapt their structure in response to chemical stimuli such as variations in pH or addition of glucose and self‐heal.

     

A Facile Route to Boronic Acid Functional Polymeric Microspheres via Epoxide Ring Opening

Boronic acid‐functionalized microspheres are prepared for the first time via mild epoxide ring opening based on porous cross‐linked polymeric microspheres (diameter ≈ 10 μm, porosity ≈ 1000 Å). Quantitative chemical analysis by XPS and EA evidences that there is a greater functionalization with boronic acid when employing a sequential synthetic method [1.7 atom% boron (XPS); 1.12 wt% nitrogen (EA)] versus a one‐pot synthetic method [0.2 atom% boron (XPS); 0.60 wt% nitrogen (EA)] yielding grafting densities ranging from approximately 2.5 molecules of boronic acid per nm² to 1 molecule of boronic acid per nm², respectively. Furthermore, the boronic acid‐functionalized microspheres are conjugated with a novel fluorescent glucose molecule demonstrating a homogeneous spatial distribution of boronic acid.