Conjugated Polymetallorotaxanes: In-Situ ESR and Conductivity Investigations of Metal−Backbone Interactions

Mechanically interlocked polymers based on rotaxanes

The nature of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) has continued to encourage researchers to design and construct a variety of high-performance materials. Introducing mechanically interlocked structures into polymers has led to novel polymeric materials, called mechanically interlocked polymers (MIPs). Rotaxane-based MIPs are an important class, where the mechanically interlocked characteristic retains a high degree of structural freedom and mobility of their components, such as the rotation and sliding motions of rotaxane units. Therefore, these MIP materials are known to possess a unique set of properties, including mechanical robustness, adaptability and responsiveness, which endow them with potential applications in many emerging fields, such as protective materials, intelligent actuators, and mechanisorption. In this review, we outline the synthetic strategies, structure-property relationships, and application explorations of various polyrotaxanes, including linear polyrotaxanes, polyrotaxane networks, and rotaxane dendrimers.

An acid/base switchable and reversibly cross-linkable polyrotaxane

A main chain-type polyrotaxane was fabricated based on the DP24C8/dialkylammonium recognition motif, in which the host could be controllably shuttled on the axle of the polyrotaxane upon acid–base stimuli and reversibly cross-linked via Pd coordination and decoordination.

Beta-substituted terthiophene [2]rotaxanes

Two kinds of beta-substituted terthiophene [2]rotaxanes were synthesized using the host-guest pairs of the electron-deficient cyclophane cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT(4+)) and the electron-rich terthiophenes with diethyleneglycol chains at the beta-position. One is made from the alpha-position non-substituted terthiophene (3 T-beta-Rx) and the other is made from the alpha-dibromo-substituted terthiophene (3 TBr-beta-Rx). The binding constants of the beta-substituted terthiophene threads were confirmed to be smaller than that of the alpha-substituted terthiophene analogue. By UV/Vis absorption measurements, we confirmed the charge-transfer (CT) band in the visible region with an extinction coefficient of approximately 10(2) (M(-1) cm(-1)). Strong, but not quantitative, quenching of the terthiophene fluorescence was confirmed for the [2]rotaxanes. Although the beta-substituted terthiophene thread was electrochemically polymerizable, the [2]rotaxane 3 T-beta-Rx was not polymerizable. This result indicates that the interlocked CBPQT(4+) macrocycle effectively suppresses the electrochemical polymerization of the terthiophene unit because electrostatic repulsive and steric effects of CBPQT(4+) hinder the dimerization of the terthiophene radical cations. In the electrochemical measurement, we confirmed the shift of the first reduction peak towards less negative potential compared to free CBPQT(4+) and the splitting of the second reduction peak. These electrochemical behaviors are similar to those observed for the highly-constrained [2]rotaxanes. The beta-substituted terthiophene [2]rotaxanes reported herein are important key compounds to prepare polythiophene polyrotaxanes.

Formation, Dynamic Behavior, and Chemical Transformation of Pt Complexes with a Rotaxane-like Structure

The reaction of [Pt(CH2COMe)(Ph)(cod)] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with (ArCH2NH2CH2-C6H4COOH)+ (PF6)- (Ar = 4-tBuC6H4 or 9-anthryl) in the presence of cyclic oligoethers such as dibenzo[24]crown-8 (DB24C8) and dicyclohexano[24]crown-8 (DC24C8) produces {(ce)[ArCH2NH2CH2C6H4COOPt(Ph)(cod)]}+ (PF6)- (ce = DB24C8 or DC24C8, Ar = 4-tBuC6H4 or 9-anthryl) with interlocked structures. FABMS and NMR spectra of a solution of these compounds indicate that the Pt complexes with a secondary ammonium group and DB24C8 (or DC24C8) make up the axis and cyclic components, respectively. Temperature-dependent 1H NMR spectra of a solution of {(DB24C8)[4-tBuC6H4CH2NH2CH2-C6H4COOPt(Ph)(cod)]}+ (PF6)- ({(DB24C8)[4-H]}+ (PF6)-) show equilibration with free DB24C8 and the axis component. The addition of DB24C8 to a solution of {(DC24C8)[4-H]}+ (PF6)- causes partial exchange of the macrocyclic component of the interlocked molecules, giving a mixture of {(DC24C8)[4-H]}+ (PF6)-, {(DB24C8)[4-H]}+ (PF6)-, and free macrocyclic compounds. The reaction of 3,5-Me2C6H3COCl with {(DB24C8)[4-H]}+ (PF6)- affords the organic rotaxane {(DB24C8)(4-tBuC6H4CH2NH2CH2-C6H4COOCOC6H3Me2-3,5)}+ (PF6)- through C-O bond formation between the aroyl group and the carboxylate ligand of the axis component. The addition of 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) to a solution of {(DB24C8)[4-H]}+ (PF6)- induces the degradation of the interlocked structure to form a complex with trigonal bipyramidal coordination, [Pt(Ph)(bpy)(cod)]+ (PF6)-, whereas the reaction of bpy with [Pt(OCOC6H4Me-4)(Ph)(cod)] produces the square-planar complex [Pt(OCOC6H4Me-4)(Ph)(bpy)].

Oligothiophene Bipyridine Alternate Copolymers and Their Ruthenium Metalated Analogues: In Situ ESR and UV−Vis Investigations of Metal−Chain Interactions

In situ electron spin resonance (ESR) and UV-vis spectro-electrochemical studies have been performed on two copolymers consisting of alternating subunits of regioregular head to tail (HT) coupled 3-octylthiophene tetramer and 2,2'-bipyridine subunits (P4) or 3-octylthiophene hexamer subunits of the same regioregularity and 2,2'-bipyridine subunits (P6). Both P4 and P6 have been investigated in their metal-free form as well as in the ruthenium(II) metalated form (P4-Ru and P6-Ru). P4 and P6 in the p-doped state exhibit a clear ESR signal characteristic of the presence of polarons in the oligothienylene subunits. In the case of P4, no recombination of polarons into bipolarons is observed, whereas the recombination process takes place in P6. The formation of bipolarons is well-rationalized in terms of the conjugation length, and it seems clear that the higher length of the oligothiophene subunit in P6( )()stabilizes bipolarons(.)() The same effect, is induced by the coordination of -Ru(bpy)(2)(2+) to the bipyridine unit in the metalated form of both polymers, which results in an increase of the conjugation length. Important information is gained from the analysis of the ESR spectra of both nonmetalated and metalated in the oxidized (p-doped) and reduced (n-doped) forms. In the p-doped state both nonmetalated and metalated polymers reveal the presence of a narrow ESR line characteristic of the mobile spin carriers in the polymer matrix. The oxidation of the metal center occurs at higher potentials and leads to an irreversible destruction of the system. To the contrary, in the reduced (n-doped) state the ESR lines of the nonmetalated and metalated polymers markedly differ. A significant line broadening with simultaneous change of the g-value is caused by spin-orbit coupling phenomenon induced by the presence of the coordinating metal. Finally, the observation of a clear polaronic band in the UV-vis spectrum of p-doped P4 and its strong dependence on the applied potential can be clearly correlated with the potential induced changes in the ESR spin density. The same applies to P4-Ru, where the changes in the polaronic and bipolaronic bands can also be correlated with the ESR spin density changes.

Insulated conducting polymers: manipulating charge transport using supramolecular complexes

Rotaxane structures which provide functional insulation to conducting polymers can provide over a 4000-fold reduction in conductivity over non-rotaxane structures and with electronically active copper ions in the rotaxane units the conductivity increases by more than 80 times relative to the metal-free analog.