Proton Conductivity in a Metal-Organic Cube-Based Framework and Derived Hydrogel with Tubular Morphology.

The hydrogels, formed by self-assembly of predesigned, discrete metal-organic cubes (MOCs), have emerged as a new type of functional soft material whose diverse properties are yet to be explored. Here, we explore the proton conductivity of a MOC-based supramolecular porous framework {(Me2NH2)12[Ga8(ImDC)12]·DMF·29H2O} (1) (ImDC = 4,5-imidazole dicarboxylate) and derived hydrogel (MOC-G1). The intrinsic charge-assisted H-bonded (between anionic MOC {[Ga8(ImDC)12]12-} and dimethylammonium cations) framework 1 exhibits an ambient condition proton conductivity value of 2.3 × 10-5 S cm-1 (@40% RH) which increases with increasing temperature (8.2 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 120 °C and 40% RH) and follows the Grotthuss type of mechanism of proton conduction. Self-assembly of the MOCs in the presence of ammonium cations, as molecular binders, resulted in a hydrogel (MOC-G1) that shows directional H-bonded 1D nanotubular morphology. While guest water molecules are immensely important in deciding the proton conductivity of both 1 and MOC-G1, the presence of additional proton carriers, such as DMA and ammonium cations, resulted in at least 1 order increment in the proton conductivity of the latter (1.8 × 10-2 S cm-1) than the former (1.4 × 10-3 S cm-1) under 25 °C and 98% RH condition. The values of proton conductivity of 1 and MOC-G1 are comparable with those of the best proton conduction reports in the literature. This work may pave the way for the development of proton conductors with unique architecture and conductivity requisite for the state-of-the-art technologies by selecting appropriate MOC and molecular binders.

Nanocomposite Hydrogel of Pd@ZIF-8 and Laponite® : Size-Selective Hydrogenation Catalyst under Mild Conditions.

The composite hydrogel of a nanoscale metal-organic framework (NMOF) and nanoclay has emerged as a new soft-material with advanced properties and applications. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of a hydrogel nanocomposite by charge-assisted self-assembly of Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles with Laponite® nanoclay which coat the surface of Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles. Such surface coating significantly enhanced the thermal stability of the ZIF-8 compared to the pristine framework. Further, the Pd@ZIF-8+LP hydrogel nanocomposite shows better size-selective catalytic hydrogenation of olefins than Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles based on selective diffusion of the substrate.

Tuning Aqueous Supramolecular Polymerization by an Acid-Responsive Conformational Switch.

Besides their widespread use in coordination chemistry, 2,2'-bipyridines are known for their ability to undergo cis-trans conformational changes in response to metal ions and acids, which has been primarily investigated at the molecular level. However, the exploitation of such conformational switching in self-assembly has remained unexplored. In this work, the use of 2,2'-bipyridines as acid-responsive conformational switches to tune supramolecular polymerization processes has been demonstrated. To achieve this goal, we have designed a bipyridine-based linear bolaamphiphile, 1, that forms ordered supramolecular polymers in aqueous media through cooperative aromatic and hydrophobic interactions. Interestingly, addition of acid (TFA) induces the monoprotonation of the 2,2'-bipyridine moiety, leading to a switch in the molecular conformation from a linear (trans) to a V-shaped (cis) state. This increase in molecular distortion along with electrostatic repulsions of the positively charged bipyridine-H+ units attenuate the aggregation tendency and induce a transformation from long fibers to shorter thinner fibers. Our findings may contribute to opening up new directions in molecular switches and stimuli-responsive supramolecular materials.

Regulating Charge-Transfer in Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Bandgap engineering in donor-acceptor conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) is a potential way to increase the solar-energy harvesting towards photochemical water splitting. Here, the design and synthesis of a series of donor-acceptor CMPs [tetraphenylethylene (TPE) and 9-fluorenone (F) as the donor and the acceptor, respectively], F0.1 CMP, F0.5 CMP, and F2.0 CMP, are reported. These CMPs exhibited tunable bandgaps and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water. The donor-acceptor CMPs exhibited also intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) absorption in the visible region (λmax =480 nm) and their bandgap was finely tuned from 2.8 to 2.1 eV by increasing the 9-fluorenone content. Interestingly, they also showed emissions in the 540-580 nm range assisted by the energy transfer from the other TPE segments (not involved in charge-transfer interactions), as evidenced from fluorescence lifetime decay analysis. By increasing the 9-fluorenone content the emission color of the polymer was also tuned from green to red. Photocatalytic activities of the donor-acceptor CMPs (F0.1 CMP, F0.5 CMP, and F2.0 CMP) are greatly enhanced compared to the 9-fluorenone free polymer (F0.0 CMP), which is essentially due to improved visible-light absorption and low bandgap of donor-acceptor CMPs. Among all the polymers F0.5 CMP with an optimum bandgap (2.3 eV) showed the highest H2 evolution under visible-light irradiation. Moreover, all polymers showed excellent dispersibility in organic solvents and easy coated on the solid substrates.

Charge-Assisted Self-Assembly of ZIF-8 and Laponite Clay toward a Functional Hydrogel Nanocomposite.

The fabrication of a gel through the self-assembly of a nanoscale metal-organic framework is extremely rare. Here we report the facile synthesis of new hydrogel nanocomposites by the surface coating of ZIF-8 nanoparticles with laponite (LP) nanoclay through electrostatic interaction. The hydrogel exhibits a pH-controlled release of encapsulated guest molecules. Also, a luminescent hydrogel nanocomposite is prepared by encapsulating dye into ZIF-8, followed by gelation with LP.

Coordination Polymer Gels with Modular Nanomorphologies, Tunable Emissions, and Stimuli-Responsive Behavior Based on an Amphiphilic Tripodal Gelator.

The recent upsurge in research on coordination polymer gels (CPGs) stems from their synthetic modularity, nanoscale processability, and versatile functionalities. Here we report self-assembly of an amphiphilic, tripodal low-molecular weight gelator (L) that consists of 4,4',4-[1,3,5-phenyl-tri(methoxy)]-tris-benzene core and 2,2':6',2″-terpyridyl termini, with different metal ions toward the formation of CPGs that show controllable nanomorphologies, tunable emission, and stimuli-responsive behaviors. L can also act as a selective chemosensor for ZnII with very low limit of detection (0.18 ppm) in aqueous medium. Coordination-driven self-assembly of L with ZnII in H2O/MeOH solvent mixture results in a coordination polymer hydrogel (ZnL) that exhibits sheet like morphology and charge-transfer emission. On the other hand, coordination of L with TbIII and EuIII in CHCl3/tetrahydrofuran solvent mixture results in green- and red-emissive CPGs, respectively, with nanotubular morphology. Moreover, precise stoichiometric control of L/EuIII/TbIII ratio leads to the formation of bimetallic CPGs that show emissions over a broad spectral range, including white-light-emission. We also explore the multistimuli responsive properties of the white-light-emitting CPG by exploiting the dynamics of LnIII-tpy coordination.

Biomimetic Approach toward Visible Light-Driven Hydrogen Generation Based on a Porphyrin-Based Coordination Polymer Gel.

There has been a widespread interest in developing self-assembled porphyrin nanostructures to mimic nature's light-harvesting processes. Herein, porphyrin-based coordination polymer gel (CPG) has been developed as a "soft" photocatalyst material for hydrogen (H2) production from water under visible light. The CPG offers a hierarchical nanofibrous network structure obtained through self-assembly of a terpyridine alkyl-amide appended porphyrin (TPY-POR)-based low molecular weight gelator with ruthenium ions (RuII) and produces H2 with a rate of 5.7 mmol g-1 h-1 in the presence of triethylamine (TEA) as a sacrificial electron donor. Further, the [Fe2(bdt)(CO)6] (dbt = 1,2-benzenedithiol) cocatalyst, which can mimic the activity of iron hydrogenase, is coassembled in the CPG and shows remarkable improvement in H2 evolution (catalytic activity; rate ∼10.6 mmol g-1 h-1 and turnover number ∼1287). The significant enhancement in catalytic activity was supported by several controlled experiments, including femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy and also DFT calculation. The TA study supported the cascade electron transfer process from porphyrin core to [Ru(TPY)2]2+ center, and subsequently, the electron transfers to the cocatalyst [Fe2(bdt)(CO)6] for H2 production.

Recent advances in coordination-driven polymeric gel materials: design and applications.

Recently, research attention has been directed towards the coordination driven synthesis of gels, including coordination polymer gels (CPGs) and metal-organic cage based gels, which have shown applications in diverse fields, including optoelectronics, catalysis, sensing, gas-storage, and self-healing. A wide variety of CPGs and metal-organic cage based gels have been reported, to date, by choosing the right combination of metal ions and rationally designed organic linkers. In this article, we focused on recent developments in CPGs and metal-organic cage based gels and their applications.

Binder driven self-assembly of metal-organic cubes towards functional hydrogels.

The process of assembling astutely designed, well-defined metal-organic cube (MOC) into hydrogel by using a suitable molecular binder is a promising method for preparing processable functional soft materials. Here, we demonstrate charge-assisted H-bonding driven hydrogel formation from Ga3+-based anionic MOC ((Ga8(ImDC)12)12-) and molecular binders, like, ammonium ion (NH4+), N-(2-aminoethyl)-1,3-propanediamine, guanidine hydrochloride and ß-alanine. The morphology of the resulting hydrogel depends upon the size, shape and geometry of the molecular binder. Hydrogel with NH4+ shows nanotubular morphology with negative surface charge and is used for gel-chromatographic separation of cationic species from anionic counterparts. Furthermore, a photo-responsive luminescent hydrogel is prepared using a cationic tetraphenylethene-based molecular binder (DATPE), which is employed as a light harvesting antenna for tuning emission colour including pure white light. This photo-responsive hydrogel is utilized for writing and preparing flexible light-emitting display.

Bimodal self-assembly of an amphiphilic gelator into a hydrogel-nanocatalyst and an organogel with different morphologies and photophysical properties.

We design a flexible, amphiphilic LMWG consisting of donor and acceptor π-chromophores which self-assembles into a hydrogel and an organogel with different nano-morphologies. Different mechanisms of self-assembly evolve charge transfer (CT) emission in the hydrogel and LMWG-based emission in the organogel. Moreover, the hydrogel-nanostructure with surface exposed amide groups is explored for catalyzing Knoevenagel condensation reaction.

Coordination polymer gels: soft metal-organic supramolecular materials and versatile applications.

In recent times, significant attention has been paid to the development of functional coordination polymer gels (CPGs) from rationally designed low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) and metal ions. Coordination of metal ions to LMWGs provides an opportunity to emulate metal based redox, optical, electronic and magnetic properties in soft CPG materials. The metal-LMWG interactions allow controlled growth of CPGs with different nanostructures such as fibers, tubes, rings, ribbons and vesicles. Furthermore, the nanoscale periodicity of metal ions and LWMGs in CPGs is of paramount importance for different optoelectronic applications. The easy processability and dynamic nature of CPGs are explored for application in diverse fields, including drug-delivery, gas storage, optoelectronics, chemo-sensing, self-healing, etc. Also, by taking advantage of dynamic metal-ligand coordination bonds various stimuli-responsive multi-functional CPGs are developed. In this feature article, we cover important examples of newly developed CPGs, which show potential applications in different fields.

Tunable emission in lanthanide coordination polymer gels based on a rationally designed blue emissive gelator.

Rational design and synthesis of a new low molecular weight gelator (LMWG) having 9,10-diphenylanthracene core and terminal terpyridine is reported. Tb(III) and Eu(III) ion coordination to a LMWG results in green and pink emissive coordination polymer gels, respectively, with coiled nanofiber morphology. Further, control over stoichiometry of LMWG:Tb(III):Eu(III) leads to yellow and white light emitting bimetallic gels.