Hybrid host-guest complexes: directing the supramolecular structure through secondary host-guest interactions

A set of four hybrid host-guest complexes based on the inorganic crown ether analogue [H12W36O120]12- ({W36}) have been isolated and characterised. The cluster anion features a central rigid binding site made up of six terminal oxygen ligands and this motif allows the selective binding of a range of alkali and alkali-earth-metal cations. Here, the binding site was utilised to functionalise the metal oxide-based cavity by complexing a range of protonated primary amines within the recognition site. As a result, a set of four hybrid organic-inorganic host-guest complexes were obtained whereby the interactions are highly directed specifically within this cavity. The guest cations in these molecular assemblies range from the aromatic 2-phenethylamine (1) and 4-phenylbutylamine (2) to the bifunctional aromatic p-xylylene diamine (3) and the aliphatic, bifunctional 1,6-diaminohexane (4). Compounds 1-4 were structurally characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, FTIR and bond valence sum calculations. This comparative study focuses on the supramolecular effects of the amine guest cations and investigates their structure-directing effects on the framework arrangement arising by locking the protonated amines within the cavity of the {W36} cluster. It was shown that parts of the organic guest cation protrude from the central binding cavity and the nature of this protruding organic "tail" directs the solid-state arrangement of compounds 1-4. Guest cations with a hydrophobic phenyl tail result in an antiparallel assembly of {W36} complexes arranged in a series of pillared layers. As a consequence, no direct supramolecular interactions between {W36} clusters are observed. In contrast, bifunctional guest cations with a secondary amino binding site act as molecular connectors and directly link two cluster units thus locking the supramolecular assembly in a tilted arrangement. This direct linking of {W36} anions results in the formation of an infinite supramolecular scaffold.     

Self-healing supramolecular gels formed by crown ether based host-guest interactions

Automatic repair: a polymer with pendent dibenzo[24]crown-8 units (purple in picture) was cross-linked by two bisammonium salts (green) to form two supramolecular gels based on host-guest interactions. These two gels are stimuli-responsive materials that respond to changes of the pH value and are also self-healing materials, as can be seen by eye and as evidenced by rheological data.     

Peptide recognition: encapsulation and alpha-helical folding of a nine-residue peptide within a hydrophobic dimeric capsule of a bowl-shaped host

A dimeric capsule of coordination bowl 1 encapsulated a nine-residue peptide (Trp-Ala-Glu-Ala-Ala-Ala-Glu-Ala-Trp; 2) within the large hydrophobic cavity in water, and stabilized the alpha-helical conformation of bound 2. An NMR titration experiment revealed that monomeric bowl 1 recognized two Trp residues at the both terminals of 2 through 1/2 = 1:1 to 2:1 complexation. The 1:1 and 2:1 species exist in equilibrium even in the presence of excess 1. It was found that the formation of the 2:1 complex, in which two bowls of 1 wrapped the whole of 2, became dominant by the addition of NaNO3 due to the fact that the enhanced ion strength increased the hydrophobic interaction between Trp residues and the cavity of 1. The alpha-helical conformation of 2 within the dimeric capsule of 1 was elucidated from detailed NOESY analysis.     

Multichromophoric Organic Molecules Encapsulated in Polymer Nanoparticles for Artificial Light Harvesting

We designed a self‐assembled multichromophoric organic molecular arrangement inside polymer nanoparticles for light‐harvesting antenna materials. The self‐assembled molecular arrangement of quaterthiophene molecules was found to be an efficient light‐absorbing antenna material, followed by energy transfer to Nile red (NR) dye molecules, which was confined in polymer nanoparticles. The efficiency of the antenna effect was found to be 3.2 and the effective molar extinction coefficient of acceptor dye molecules was found to be enhanced, which indicates an efficient light‐harvesting system. Based on this energy‐transfer process, tunable photo emission and white light emission has been generated with 14 % quantum yield. Such self‐assembled oligothiophene–NR systems encapsulated in polymer nanoparticles may open up new possibilities for fabrication of artificial light harvesting system.     

Hierarchical Self‐Assembly of a Biomimetic Light‐Harvesting Antenna Based on DNA G‐Quadruplexes

A new modular approach to an artificial light‐harvesting antenna system is presented. The approach involves the hierarchical self‐assembly of porphyrin acceptor molecules to G‐quadruplexes tethered to coumarin donor moieties.