The Design and Generation of Inorganic Cylindrical Cage Architectures by Metal-Ion-Directed Multicomponent Self-Assembly

Abstract

The multicomponent self-assembly of ditopic linear ligands, circular ligands and copper(I) or silver(I) ions leads to the exclusive formation of a series of cylindrical inorganic architectures containing an internal cavity whose height may be modulated by the nature of the ligands used (see picture: 1: 20 Å; 2: 33 Å). The same reactions with tritopic and tetratopic linear ligands and circular tritopic ligands generates tri- (3) and tetracompartmental (4) cylindrical architectures of nanometric size in one stroke by a process involving the spontaneous positioning of up to 19 particles and the formation of up to 48 coordination bonds.