Artificial Dynamic Guest-Adaptive Hosts for Catalysts and Sensors

• Applicant: Dr. Zhenpin Lu
• Subject Area: Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation ; Construction Material Sciences, Chemistry, Building Physics
• Term: from 2017 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 372823299

• Final Report Year: 2019

Final Report Abstract

A redox-switchable self-assembled ZnII4L6 cage was synthesized based on naphthalenediimide (NDI) motif. The persistence of the spin-carrying cage was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry experiments and the encapsulation of functionalized C60 supported by NMR titrations. Moreover, this unique cage can act as a supramolecular catalyst for oxidative coupling reactions of borates. The efficiency of the supramolecular catalyst can be dramatically enhanced through the host-guest interaction with C60. Likewise, an FeII4L6 tetrahedral cage was prepared from a redox-active naphthalenediimide (NDI) ligand. This highly charged cage shows a preference for anionic guests with no binding observed for neutral aromatic molecules. When reduced with Cp2Co, the cage releases the anion guests; subsequent oxidation by AgNTf2 led to recovery of the host-guest complexes. Furthermore, the neutral guest fullerene C60 could be encapsulated by the reduced NDI cage. Our results demonstrate the potential to control host-guest interactions using redox stimuli.

Publications

• “A Zn4L6 capsule shows enhanced catalytic C-C bond formation activity upon C60 binding”. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 9073-9077
  Z. Lu, R. Lavendomme, O. Burghaus, J. R. Nitschke