The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Tunable gel phase materials with novel properties such as switchable rheology and controlled flow characteristics are an emerging topic of interest in potential applications as diverse as pharmaceutical crystallization, catalysis, drug delivery and controlled release, wound healing, and stabilization of drilling mud [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] . Within this context supramolecular low molecular weight gelators (LMWG), with their reversible and dynamic intermolecular interactions are achieving increasing prominence [10][11][12][13][14][15] . Work on switchable gels includes 2 systems involving photo-, pH, and redox based switching, ultrasound induced gelation, and switchable catalysis [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] . In order to systematically develop smart materials with controllable and well understood changes in bulk properties, an understanding of the intermolecular interactions in the system and the way in which they engage in hierarchical self-assembly in order to produce emergent morphologies with complex behavior is required. The link between even primary supramolecular interactions and bulk material properties is often unclear, however. Recent work has highlighted some simple approaches to controllable or smart materials that have met with considerable success. A key theme in particular is setting up a 'tipping point' in a system comprising competing intermolecular interactions which contribute to either gel assembly or gel dissolution. In this way a number of research groups have shown that anion binding in competition with urea self-assembly can be used to 'turn-down' and ultimately 'turn-off' gelation behavior 24,25 . Interestingly, in alternative systems, anion binding has also been used to induce gelation 26,27 . In a similar way metal coordination has also been used to tune gel properties 25 . In a series of bis(urea) gels we have shown how a combination of metal-and anion-binding can allow comprehensive control over the system. Competitive anion binding reduces gel strength by inhibiting urea -tape hydrogen-bond formation [28][29][30][31] .Conversely, metal coordination in pyridyl-urea compounds results in metal binding to the pyridyl group which suppresses the alternative, gel-inhibiting urea-pyridyl hydrogenbonding interaction, freeing the urea groups to form fibrils, and hence gels, as a result of the urea tape hydrogen-bonding motif [32][33][34] . These competitive interaction modes are summarised in Figure 1. 3

1,6-Bis(trimethylammonium) hexane bis(trihalides) and mixed bis(trihalides) have been synthesized by treating the corresponding dihydrated halides with molecular dihalogens under gas-solid and solution conditions. Despite the starting halides being non-porous, the trihalide syntheses occur homogeneously, in quantitative yields, and reversibly. In all cases halogen bond prevails over hydrogen bond, dihalogens substitute for the hydration water of starting halide anions and trihalides are formed. The stability of the obtained trihalides is mainly due to cooperative halogen bond and cation templation effect. Hexamethonium halides are proven effective solids for the clathration and storage of molecular dihalogens. While the starting salts are not isostructural, all the formed trihalides and mixed trihalides are isostructural

Bis(I2) adducts of hexamethonium dihalides are pre-organized to respond dynamically to heating and reach a functional structure that favors the formation of the poorly stable and virtually unknown [I2Br2]2− and [I2Cl2]2− tetrahalides which could not be obtained in solution (see picture). The cavity-directed reactivity affords new opportunities for synthesis and interconversion of polyhalogen anions

Organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs) show the fascinating combination of electrical switching characteristics and light generation capability. However, to ensure an effective device operation, an efficient injection of charges into the emissive layer is required. The introduction of solution-processed conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) films at the emissive layer/electrode interface represents a promising strategy to improve the electron injection process by dipole formation. However, their use in optoelectronic devices also involves some limitations because of the ionic nature of CPEs. In this context, neutral conjugated polar polymers (CPPs) represent a valid alternative to CPEs because the conjugated backbones of CPPs are functionalized with polar nonionic side groups, thus avoiding ion-dependent drawbacks. By introducing a layer of polyfluorene-containing phosphonate groups underneath the metal electrodes, we here demonstrate a substantial improvement of the electron injection properties into the OLET-emissive layer and, accordingly, a more than 2-fold increased light power and a 5 times higher external quantum efficiency of p-type OLETs in comparison with reference devices without any interlayer. The great benefit of using a transparent glass substrate allowed to selectively investigate the morphological and photoluminescent characteristics of both CPE- and CPP-buried interlayers within complete OLETs by means of an optical scanning probe technique. This, together with a thorough optoelectronic characterization of the figures of merit of working light-emitting devices, allowed to disclose the origin of the improved optical performance of CPP-based devices as well as the operation mechanisms of the investigated interlayer in the corresponding OLETs.

Bis(I2) adducts of hexamethonium dihalides are pre‐organized to respond dynamically to heating and reach a functional structure that favors the formation of the poorly stable and virtually unknown [I2Br2]2− and [I2Cl2]2− tetrahalides which could not be obtained in solution (see picture). The cavity‐directed reactivity affords new opportunities for synthesis and interconversion of polyhalogen anions.

No abstract

The discrete [I2Br2 ]2− dianion is obtained for the first time by dynamic rearrangement of a diammonium crystalline salt which loses diiodine vapors under thermal stimulus and thus displays adaptable porosity. In their Communication on K. D. M. Harris, P. Metrangolo, G. Resnati, et al. show that the process is driven by the cation/supramolecular anion size‐matching, is general, as it affords also the rare [I2Cl2]2− and [I4]2− dianions, and is reversible.

Thermal treatment of microcrystalline trihalides (II) affords the [I4]2‐ tetraiodide anion and its unique [I2Br2]2‐ and [I2Cl2]2‐ mixed analogs as uniform and microcrystalline salts (III) in nearly quantitative yield.