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Trackable Supramolecular Fusion: Cage to Cage Transformation of Tetraphenylethylene‐Based Metalloassemblies
Author(s) -
Li Guangfeng,
Zhou Zhixuan,
Yuan Chang,
Guo Zhewen,
Liu Yuhang,
Zhao Dong,
Liu Kai,
Zhao Jun,
Tan Hongwei,
Yan Xuzhou
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202000078
Subject(s) - supramolecular chemistry , chromophore , tetraphenylethylene , fusion , fluorescence , chemistry , intramolecular force , quenching (fluorescence) , supramolecular assembly , photochemistry , aggregation induced emission , crystallography , materials science , stereochemistry , crystal structure , linguistics , philosophy , quantum mechanics , physics
Herein, the trackable supramolecular transformation of a two‐component molecular cage to a three‐component cage through supramolecular fusion with another two‐component molecular square is described. The use of tetraphenylethene (TPE), a chromophore with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) character, as a component for the molecular cages enables facile fluorescence monitoring of the transformation process: while both cages exhibit fluorescence emission via the restriction of intramolecular motion of the TPE motif, the interactions between TPE and 4,4′‐bipyridine introduced in the supramolecular fusion process result in partial fluorescence quenching and shifts in the emission maximum. This study provides a simple and efficient approach towards complex supramolecular cages with emergent functions and demonstrates that AIE features could provide unique opportunities for the characterization of complex, dynamic supramolecular transformation processes.