Dalil Brouri

Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Polyoxometalate-Based Hybrids Driven by Metal Coordination and Electrostatic Interactions: From Discrete Supramolecular Species to Dense Monodisperse Nanoparticles

The metal-driven self-assembly processes of a covalent polyoxometalate (POM)-based hybrid bearing remote terpyridine binding sites have been investigated. In a strongly dissociating solvent, a discrete metallomacrocycle, described as a molecular triangle, is formed and characterized by 2D diffusion NMR spectroscopy (DOSY), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and molecular modeling. In a less dissociating solvent, the primary supramolecular structure, combining negatively charged POMs and cationic metal linkers, further self-assemble through intermolecular electrostatic interactions in a reversible process. The resulting hierarchical assemblies are dense monodisperse nanoparticles composed of ca. 50 POMs that were characterized by SAXS and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This multiscale organized system directed by metal coordination and electrostatic interactions constitutes a promising step for the future design of POM self-assemblies with controllable structure-directing factors.

Efficiency of Polyoxometalate-Based Mesoporous Hybrids as Covalently Anchored Catalysts

Polyoxometalate (POM) hybrids have been covalently immobilized through the formation of amide bonds on several types of mesoporous silica. This work allows the comparison of three POM-based mesoporous systems, obtained with three different silica supports in which either the organic functions of the support (amine vs carboxylic acid) and/or the structure of the support itself (SBA-15 vs mesocellular foams (MCF)) were varied. The resulting POM-based mesoporous systems have been studied in particular by high resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HR-TEM) in order to characterize the nanostructuration of the POMs inside the pores/cells of the different materials. We thus have shown that the best distribution and loading in POMs have been reached with SBA-15 functionalized with aminopropyl groups. In this case, the formation of amide bonds in the materials has led to the nonaggregation of the POMs inside the channels of the SBA-15. The catalytic activity of the anchored systems has been evaluated through the epoxidation of cyclooctene and cyclohexene with H2O2 in acetonitrile. The reactivity of the different grafted POMs hybrids has been compared to that in solution (homogeneous conditions). Parallels can be drawn between the distribution of the POMs and the activity of the supported systems. Furthermore, recycling tests together with catalyst filtration experiments during the reaction allowed us to preclude the hypothesis of a significant leaching of the supported catalyst.

Control of the hierarchical self-assembly of polyoxometalate-based metallomacrocycles by redox trigger and solvent composition

Significance Hierarchical self-assembly is a powerful route allowing the elaboration of complex supramolecular architectures with emergent structuration or properties. Starting from well-defined molecular building units, this synthetic strategy relies on the construction of a preassembled structural motif that can further self-assemble through additional noncovalent interactions. In this context, we developed a system based on a covalent organic–inorganic polyoxometalate hybrid building block combining metal-driven self-assembly and electrostatic interactions. We herein show that in this system, the supramolecular organization can be controlled by a redox stimulus and/or the solvent composition giving rise to various types of nanoarchitectures from discrete metallomacrocycles to 1D worm-like nanoobjects. Discrete metallomacrocycles are attractive scaffolds for the formation of complex supramolecular architectures with emergent properties. We herein describe the formation of hierarchical nanostructures using preformed metallomacrocycles by coordination-driven self-assembly of a covalent organic–inorganic polyoxometalate (POM)-based hybrid. In this system, we take advantage of the presence of charged subunits (POM, metal linker, and counterions) within the metallomacrocycles, which drive their aggregation through intermolecular electrostatic interactions. We show that the solvent composition and the charge of the metal linker are key parameters that steer the supramolecular organization. Different types of hierarchical self-assemblies, zero-dimensional (0D) dense nanoparticles, and 1D worm-like nanoobjects, can be selectively formed owing to different aggregation modes of the metallomacrocycles. Finally, we report that the worm-like structures drastically enhance the solubility in water of a pyrene derivative and can act as molecular carriers.