Solvent-assisted coordination driven assembly of a supramolecular architecture featuring two types of connectivity from discrete nanocages

Solvent-assisted coordination driven assembly of a supramolecular architecture featuring two types of connectivity from discrete nanocages†

Zheng Niu,^ab Lei Wang,^a Sheng Fang,^b Pui Ching Lan,^a Briana Aguila,

^a Jason Perman,

^a Jian-Gong Ma,

*^b Peng Cheng,

^b Xiaopeng Li

^a and Shengqian Ma

*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33620, USA
E-mail: sqma@usf.edu

^b Department of Chemistry, Institution Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (MOE), Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China

Abstract

The rapid development of supramolecular chemistry provides a powerful bottom-up approach to construct various well-defined nano-architectures with increasing complexity and functionality. Compared to that of small and simple nanometric objects, the self-assembly of larger and more complex nanometric objects, such as nanocages, remains a significant challenge. Herein, we used a discrete nanocage as the monomer to successfully construct a novel three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular architecture, which comprises two types of nanocage building units with different connectivity, using the solvent-assisted coordination-driven assembly approach. The mechanism of this supramolecular assembly process was investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) studies, which identified for the first time the formation of a nanocage dimer intermediate during the assembly process. The assembly of discrete nanocages into a 3D supramolecular architecture led to remarkable enhancement of stability and gas adsorption properties.