Two Structures Toward Understanding Evolution from Surfactant-Polyoxometalate Lamellae to Surfactant-Encapsulated Polyoxometalates

Abstract

Surfactant-POM (polyoxometalate) phases are fascinating in both their self-assembly behavior and their utility as catalysts, probes, and photochromic, electrochromic, and magnetic devices. Well-ordered lamellar phases are formed when the surfactant:POM ratio is 4:1 or 2:1, and these have been described in great detail from single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. However, the surfactant-encapsulated clusters (SECs) with much larger surfactant:POM ratios do not form single-crystals readily. Thus less is known about their structural detail, and the evolution from the well-ordered lamellar phases to the SECs with increasing surfactant:POM ratio has not been detailed. We present here two structures that have resulted from an investigation of understanding the evolution of the surfactant-POM lamellar phase as the surfactant:POM ratio increases. [H2SiMo12O40][CH3CN]2[C16H33N(CH3)3]4 (monoclinic #4, P21 a = 12.636(2) A, b = 20.577(4) A, c = 22.364(4) A, β = 93.394(4)°) holds true to the preference of 4:1 surfac...