Dynamic self-assembly of coordination polymers in aqueous solution

Abstract

The construction of supramolecular polymers has been intensively pursued because the nanostructures formed through weak non-covalent interactions can be triggered by external stimuli leading to smart materials and sensors. Self-assemblies of coordination polymers consisting of metal ions and organic ligands in aqueous solution also provide particular contributions in this area. The main motivation for developing those coordination polymers originates from the value-added combination between metal ions and ligands. This review highlights the recent progress of the dynamic self-assembly of coordination polymers that result from the sophisticated molecular design, towards fabricating stimuli-responsive systems and bio-related materials. Dynamic structural changes and switchable physical properties triggered by various stimuli are summarized. Finally, the outlook for aqueous nanostructures originated from the dynamic self-assembly of coordination polymers is also presented.

Rational design of nanomaterials from assembly and reconfigurability of polymer-tethered nanoparticles

“…Tethering short polymer segments to NPs produces an enormous design space, comparable with that of copolymers, but with an expanded spectrum of properties and structures beyond the complex phases exhibited by coordination polymers and block copolymers [6,7,24,28,[49][50][51][52][53] [Figs 2(a)-2(c)]. As mentioned previously, direct realizations of TNP assembly have come from the use of "click chemistry" to attach tethers to NPs directly, creating gram quantities of material.…”

“…As another example, the lattice spacing of the superlattices formed by DNA-grafted gold NPs Figure 2. Static assemblies: (a) Nanotubular assemblies from coordination polymers upon addition of divalent metal ions (red circle), [24] (b) assembled structures from shape amphiphiles, including lamellar, gyroid, hexagonal cylinders, and BCC micelle phases, as reported in [21] . (c) Dodecagonal quasicrystal formed in a blend of polyisoprene-polystyrene-poly(2-vinylpyridine) star block copolymers/polysterene homopolymer blend.…”

“…By tuning various portions of the block geometry, different types of structures are accessible. For example, by increasing the length of a polystyrene tether attached to the corner of a POSS cube Cheng [22] and (d) single DNA strand [23] per building block; (e) coordination with metal ions, [24] and (f) electrohydrodynamic co-jetting methods that are used to produce multicompartmentalized building blocks [19,25,26] . Panel (c) reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd.: Nature Nanotechnology [22] , Polymers/Soft Matter Prospective Article et al [31] can tune between lamella, the double-gyroid, hexagonal tubes, and BCC micelles, as seen in Fig.…”

“…1(e)]. [24] Patchy particles and multicompartmentalized particles are realized via selective surface treatment methods [38] and electrohydrodynamic co-jetting [ Fig. 1(e)], respectively.…”

Control over the Self‐Assembly Modes of PtII Complexes by Alkyl Chain Variation: From Slipped to Parallel π‐Stacks

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In order to achieve these functionalities, highlyordered, adaptive nanostructures formed via a cooperative supramolecular polymerization mechanism are highly desirable. 18 The introduction of orthogonal noncovalent interactions, 19 from which hydrogen bonding and combinations with other secondary interactions are by far the most exploited ones, 20 represents a rational means for this purpose.…”