Carbon dots as building blocks for the construction of functional nanocomposite materials

Journal of the Iranian Chemical Society - Carbon dots (CDs) are carbon-based quasi-spherical fluorescent nanoparticles with unique physical and chemical properties. Due to their complexity and...     

2-Amino-3,4-diethylpyrrole derivatives: new building blocks for coiled structures

The synthesis of a multicomponent, mixed oligomer containing alpha-aminopyrrole is described; this system adopts a coiled structure in the solid state and serves as a prototype of a possible new class of hydrogen bond based helicates.     

Cyclopentadienyl-functionalised polyhedral silsesquioxanes as building blocks for new nanostructured materials

This work is to design new organosilicon precursors, which contain both siloxane and cyclopentadienyl functionalities and use these compounds as building blocks for new nanomaterials. Polyhedral silsesquioxanes, (RSiO_1.5)_n (n = 8 and 10) with cyclopentadienyl (R = -C₅H₅ or -(CH₂)₃-C₅H₅) functionalities have been prepared by hydrolytic condensation of the correspondent silicon organic precursors RSiCl₃ or RSi(OC₂H₅)₃. The products with cyclopentadienyl groups have been used to prepare new cross-linked 3D polymeric materials by Diels-Alder reaction. The compounds have been characterised by multinuclear (¹H and ²⁹Si) NMR, ESI MS and IR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography and scanning electron microscopy. The approach above seems to be very promising for the preparation of new nanostructured materials.     

Poly(vinyl ethers) as building blocks for new materials

The living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers has been used to prepare a number of new polymers with special properties. Sequential polymerization of the hydrophilic methyl vinyl ether (MVE) and the hydrophobic octadecyl vinyl ether (ODVE) has lead to amphiphilic block-copolymers with emulsifying properties for water/decane mixtures. Poly(vinyl-ether) macromonomers were obtained by end-capping of living polymers with hydroxyethyl acrylate. Copolymerization of polyODVE-macromonomer with usual acrylates lead to highly branched hydrophobic polymers. When the end-capping was performed with bifunctionally living polymers, the corresponding “bis-macromonomers” were obtained. Copolymerization of such bis-macromonomers with styrene or butyl acrylate, leads to the formation of segmented polymer networks. In the case of polyODVE-poly(butyl acrylate), these networks showed a pronounced phase separation. Due to the crystallinity of the polyODVE domains, these materials showed shape memory properties.     

ZEOBUILDER: A GUI toolkit for the construction of complex molecular structures on the nanoscale with building blocks

In this paper, a new graphical toolkit, ZEOBUILDER, is presented for the construction of the most complex zeolite structures based on building blocks. Molecular simulations starting from these model structures give novel insights in the synthesis mechanisms of micro- and mesoporous materials. ZEOBUILDER is presented as an open-source code with easy plug-in facilities. This architecture offers an ideal platform for further development of new features. Another specific aspect in the architecture of ZEOBUILDER is the data structure with multiple reference frames in which molecules and molecular building blocks are placed and which are hierarchically ordered. The main properties of ZEOBUILDER are the feasibility for constructing complex structures, extensibility, and transferability. The application field of ZEOBUILDER is not limited to zeolite science but easily extended to the construction of other complex (bio)molecular systems. ZEOBUILDER is a unique user-friendly GUI toolkit with advanced plug-ins allowing the construction of the most complex molecular structures, which can be used as input for all ab initio and molecular mechanics program packages.     

Hexylene- and octylene-bridged polysilsesquioxane hybrid crystals self-assembled by dimeric building blocks with ring structures

We report the synthesis of novel polysilsesquioxane hybrid crystals prepared from two precursors with hexylene- and octylene-bridged groups. Both crystals are composed of bimolecular rings (18- and 22-membered, respectively) formed by one-step condensation of two hydrolyzed monomers. The hydrogen bonds between silanol groups and the weak van der Waal's interactions between alkyl chains link the large rings as building blocks together into self-assembled, three-dimensional molecular crystalline structures. The precise control of the sol-gel process is considered to be the crucial factor in fabricating flexible long alkyl chains into an ordered stacking. These contributions extend the understanding of the sol-gel chemistry of polysilsesquioxanes.     

Core-shell particles: building blocks for advanced polymer materials

Polymer particles with submicrometer dimensions show promising applications in “bottom-to-top approach” to fabrication of materials with periodic structure, function, and composition. A novel approach to producing such materials is proposed, which employs core-shell particles with specific structures and compositions. We report on the synthesis of core-shell particles using interfacial polymerization and heterocoagulation techniques. The compositions of core-forming material and/or the shell-forming polymers were selectively controlled to be make the cores or the shells rigid or fluid, fluorescent or non-fluorescent, organic or inorganic. Several potential applications of nanocomposite materials obtained from these particles are demonstrated, including three-dimensional optical data storage and optical limiting and switching.     

Rigid chiral carbocyclic clefts as building blocks for the construction of new supramolecular hosts

The synthesis and resolution of two chiral carbocyclic cleft molecules containing carbonyl groups on the periphery of the cavity are reported. These compounds are reminiscent of Tröger's base but contain a smaller cleft and additional carbonyl (or alcohol) groups. X-ray crystal structures of the dibromo and dimethyl derivatives show that the dihedral angle between the two aromatic rings is 79° and 85° respectively. The dibromo derivative provides entry into new supramolecular hosts, via introduction of additional recognition groups into the cleft molecules.     

Boron-substituted difluorocyclopropanes: new building blocks of gem-difluorocyclopropanes

Cycloaddition of difluorocarbene to alkenyl boronates 3 gave boron-substituted gem-difluorocyclopropanes 2 in stereospecific fashion. Upon treatment with lithium carbenoids, cyclopropyl boronates 2 underwent one-carbon homologation to afford a variety of gem-difluorocyclopropanes in good yields.     

Phosphomolybdate clusters as molecular building blocks in the design of one-, two- and three-dimensional organic-inorganic hybrid materials

An attractive approach to the design of inorganic solids exploits the tethering of inorganic clusters through organic spacers to produce hybrid materials with composite properties. We have recently described a modified strategy in which polyoxometalate clusters are linked through organic subunits to give an anionic hybrid substructure which may be further modified through the introduction of secondary metal-ligand complex (SMLC) cations, serving as a third component building block. In this application, the molybdophosphonate cluster {Mo₅O₁₅(O₃PR)₂}⁴⁻ serves as a secondary building unit (SBU) with alkyl (CH₂)_n or aromatic -(C₆H₄)_n- tethers providing one-dimensional structural expansion. A binucleating ligand such as tetrapyridylpyrazine (tpyprz) is used to bridge secondary metal sites into a binuclear {Cu₂(tpyprz)}⁴⁺ SBU which may link phosphomolybdate clusters into two- or three-dimensional structures. The influence of a variety of structural determinants is discussed, including the tether length of the diphosphonate ligand, the coordination preferences of the secondary metal, expansion of the ligand component of the SMLC, and substitution of As for P in the oxide SBU.     

Synthesis of formyl-thienylpyrroles: versatile building blocks for NLO materials

Several formyl-substituted 1-alkyl(aryl)-2-(2′-thienyl)pyrroles 3-7 were synthesized by functionalization of the pyrrole or thiophene ring of thienylpyrroles 2 using different methods: Vilsmeier formylation or metalation followed by reaction with DMF.     

A new approach to hybrid nanocomposite materials with periodic structures

Hybrid core-shell polymer-semiconductor or polymer-metal microspheres were used in the "bottom-top" approach to production of nanocomposite materials with periodic structures. In the first step CdS and Ag nanocrystals were synthesized in situ on the surface of polymer microspheres using ion exchange between the counter ions in the electrical double layer of latex beads and ions in the liquid medium. In the second step a low-Tg polymeric shell was synthesized on the surface of hybrid particles, which upon annealing of the periodic array of three-layer microbeads formed a matrix. The proposed strategy employing hybrid microspheres as the functional structural blocks shows a new way to produce optically responsive materials with periodicity commensurable with the wavelength of light, an intrinsic property of photonic crystals.     

Ligands derived from tetrathiafulvalene: building blocks for multifunctional materials

The last decade has witnessed many advances in the coordination chemistry of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF). Various ligands, in which a metal-binding functionality is attached to the TTF unit, have been synthesized and used for the preparation of metal complexes. This Perspective summarizes the main types of TTF-containing ligands and their metal complexes and outlines the potential for the use of these building blocks in the design and assembly of multifunctional molecular materials.     

Crystal structures and spectroscopic properties of a new zinc phosphite cluster and an unexpected chainlike zinc phosphate obtained by hydrothermal reactions

A new zinc phosphite cluster, Zn₂(4,4′-dmbpy)₂(H₂PO₃)₄1, and a new chainlike zinc phosphate, Zn₂(5,5′-dmbpy)₂(HPO₄)(H₂PO₄)₂2, have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions (4,4′-dmbpy=4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-dipyridy, 5,5′-dmbpy=5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-dipyridy). Compound 1 is a molecular zinc phosphite constructed from ZnO₃N₂ trigonal bipyramids, H₂PO₃ pseudo-pyramids and 4,4′-dmbpy ligands. Compound 2 possesses a 1D chainlike framework constructed from ZnO₃N₂ trigonal bipyramids, HPO₄ tetrahedra, H₂PO₄ tetrahedra and 5,5′-dmbpy ligands. Both compounds 1 and 2 exhibit intensive photoluminescence originated from the intraligand π-π* transitions. Crystal data: 1, monoclinic, P2₁/n, , , , β=110.857(3)°, , Z=2, R1=0.0297, wR₁=0.0801; 2, triclinic, P-1, , , , α=64.995(9)°, β=65.952(9)°, γ=65.296(8)°, , Z=2, R₁=0.0418, wR₁=0.1010.     

Heterobinuclear complexes as building blocks in designing extended structures

The heterobinuclear complex [CuPrL(NO(3))(3)] has been used as a building block for the construction of a two-dimensional coordination polymer with the formula [CuPrL(NO(3)(2)(IN)], 1 (L(2-) = the dianion of the compartmental Schiff-base ligand obtained from the 2:1 condensation of 3-methoxysalicylaldehyde with 1,3-propanediamine; IN(-) = the isonicotinate ion). The heterobinuclear units, [CuPrL(NO(3))(2)](+), are connected through the unsymmetrical exo-bidentate ligands, IN(-), leading to a unique extended structure. Crystal data for compound 1: FW, 790.94; monoclinic, space group P2(1)/n, a = 11.2837(3) A, b = 14.7785(4) A, c = 16.9745(4) A, beta = 100.427(1) degrees; V = 2783.86(12) A(3); Z = 4; R1 = 0.0210, wR2 = 0.0562 [I > 2sigma(I)].     

Cyclodextrin-based thiacavitands as building blocks for the construction of metallo-nanotubes

Two new cyclodextrin-based ligands with dual exo/endo binding domains were synthesised in high yields by reacting dimesylated or tetramesylated α-CD derivatives with sodium sulfide in either dimethylsulfoxyde or acetone/18-crown-6. The capping of adjacent glucose units was shown to be strongly favoured in both cases. Depending on the nature of the metal precursor being used, one of the synthesised thiacavitands forms either rigid nanotubular dimers or chelate complexes having receptor properties upon metal complexation.     

Structural diversity in 4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine-zinc phosphite hybrids: incorporation of neutral guest molecules in hybrid materials

Six new zinc phosphite hybrids are prepared under a variety of reaction conditions from the primary building blocks, trimethylenedipyridine, zinc acetate, and phosphorous acid. Neutral guest molecules are incorporated into several of the structures. Under hydrothermal conditions at 130 degrees C, an anionic framework structure, 1, templated on trimethylenedipyridinium, is obtained while a neutral ladder structure, 2, is formed at room temperature. These reactions are done at an initial pH of 4.7-5.0. When the reaction is done at an initial pH of 7.8-8.0, a neutral layered motif is obtained with 1,3-dipyridylpropane pillars and neutral guests in the interstitial space. Structures with water, phenol, and catechol as the guests, compounds 3, 4, and 5, respectively, are reported. The use of catechol as a template results in the breakup of the ZnPO sheet structure common to both 3 and 4. When amino acids, including alanine, were added to the reaction medium, a neutral three-dimensional framework, 6, is obtained with no incorporation of the potential template. The syntheses and structures of these new materials are reported.