Jinying Li

A supramolecular cross-linked conjugated polymer network for multiple fluorescent sensing.

A supramolecular cross-linked network was fabricated and demonstrated to act as a multiple fluorescent sensor. It was constructed from a fluorescent conjugated polymer and a bisammonium salt cross-linker driven by dibenzo[24]crown-8/secondary ammonium salt host-guest interactions. Compared with the conjugated polymer, the network has weak fluorescence due to the aggregation of polymer chains. Thanks to the multiple stimuli-responsiveness of host-guest interactions, the fluorescence intensity of the system can be enhanced by four types of signals, including potassium cation, chloride anion, pH increase, and heating. Hence, the network can serve as a cation sensor, an anion sensor, a pH sensor, and a temperature sensor. It can be used in both solution and thin film. Interestingly, exposure of a film made from this supramolecular cross-linked network to ammonia leads to an increase of fluorescence, making it a good candidate for gas detection.

A Water-Soluble Pillar[6]arene: Synthesis, Host–Guest Chemistry, and Its Application in Dispersion of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in Water

The first water-soluble pillar[6]arene was synthesized. Its water solubility can be reversibly controlled by changing the pH. This solubility control was used in reversible transformations between nanotubes and vesicles and dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in water.

Hierarchical self-assembly: well-defined supramolecular nanostructures and metallohydrogels via amphiphilic discrete organoplatinum(II) metallacycles.

Metallacyclic cores provide a scaffold upon which pendant functionalities can be organized to direct the formation of dimensionally controllable nanostructures. Because of the modularity of coordination-driven self-assembly, the properties of a given supramolecular core can be readily tuned, which has a significant effect on the resulting nanostructured material. Herein we report the efficient preparation of two amphiphilic rhomboids that can subsequently order into 0D micelles, 1D nanofibers, or 2D nanoribbons. This structural diversity is enforced by three parameters: the nature of the hydrophilic moieties decorating the parent rhomboids, the concentration of precursors during self-assembly, and the reaction duration. These nanoscopic constructs further interact to generate metallohydrogels at high concentrations, driven by intermolecular hydrophobic and π-π interactions, demonstrating the utility of coordination-driven self-assembly as a first-order structural element for the hierarchical design of functional soft materials.

Dendronized Organoplatinum(II) Metallacyclic Polymers Constructed by Hierarchical Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly and Hydrogen-Bonding Interfaces

We describe the efficient preparation of rhomboidal metallacycles that self-assemble upon mixing a donor decorated with 2-ureido-4-pyrimidinone (UPy) with acceptors containing pendant [G1]-[G3] dendrons. The formed rhomboids subsequently polymerize into dendronized organoplatinum(II) metallacyclic polymers through H-bonding UPy interfaces, which possess the structural features of conventional dendronized polymers as well as the dynamic reversibility of supramolecular polymers. Preservation of both properties in a single material is achieved by exploiting hierarchical self-assembly, namely the unification of coordination-driven self-assembly with H-bonding, which provides facile routes to dendronized metallacycles and subsequent high ordering. The supramolecular polymerization defined here represents a novel method to deliver architecturally complex and ordered polymeric materials with adaptive properties.

Two 2 : 3 copillar[5]arene constitutional isomers: syntheses, crystal structures and host–guest complexation of their derivatives with dicarboxylic acid sodium salts in water

Two 2 : 3 copillar[5]arene constitutional isomers were prepared and host-guest complexation of their derivatives with dicarboxylic acid sodium salts in water was investigated.

pH-Responsive Supramolecular Polymerization in Aqueous Media Driven by Electrostatic Attraction-Enhanced Crown Ether-Based Molecular Recognition

All the previously reported supramolecular polymers based on crown ether-based molecular recognition have been prepared in anhydrous organic solvents. This is mainly due to the weakness of crown ether-based molecular recognition in the presence of water. Here we report a linear supramolecular polymer constructed from a heteroditopic monomer in an aqueous medium driven by crown ether-based molecular recognition through the introduction of electrostatic attraction. In addition, the reversible transition between the linear supramolecular polymer and oligomers is achieved by adding acid and base. This study realizes the breakthrough of the solvent for supramolecular polymerization driven by crown ether-based molecular recognition from anhydrous organic solvents to aqueous media. It is helpful for achieving supramolecular polymerization driven by crown ether-based molecular recognition in a completely aqueous medium.

A water-soluble pillar[6]arene: synthesis, host–guest chemistry, controllable self-assembly, and application in controlled release

A new water-soluble pillar[6]arene was successfully prepared. It complexed with a sodium p-hydroxybenzoate derivative to form a supra-amphiphile. The controllable self-assembly and application in controlled release of this supra-amphiphile in water were investigated.

Metallosupramolecular poly[2]pseudorotaxane constructed by metal coordination and crown-ether-based molecular recognition.

A novel bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10 derivative bearing two π-extended pyridyl groups was synthesized, and its host-guest complexation with a paraquat derivative to form a threaded [2]pseudorotaxane was studied. Subsequently, a poly[2]pseudorotaxane was constructed with a metallosupramolecular polymer backbone via metal coordination, which was comprehensively confirmed by the combination of (1)H NMR, (31)P{(1)H} NMR, DOSY NMR, DLS, and EDX techniques.

Carbon Nanotube/Biocompatible Bola‐Amphiphile Supramolecular Biohybrid Materials: Preparation and Their Application in Bacterial Cell Agglutination

Supramolecular biohybrid materials were successfully constructed driven by non-covalent interactions between three biocompatible bolaform amphiphiles and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The existence of galactoses in these supramolecular systems endowed the hybrid materials with interesting bio-function. By introducing the SWNTs as semi-flexible platforms, these supramolecular biohybrid materials display excellent agglutination ability for E. coli.

Three protocols for the formation of a [3]pseudorotaxane via orthogonal cryptand-based host-guest recognition and coordination-driven self-assembly.

A novel bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10-based cryptand 1 with a pyridine nitrogen atom outside on the third arm was designed and synthesized. Subsequently, host-guest complexation between cryptand 1 and a selection of bipyridinium guests has been studied. More interestingly, the [3]pseudorotaxane 2 is a superset of 5(2) was obtained in three methods by utilizing the noninterfering orthogonal nature of coordination-driven self-assembly and host-guest interactions.