Amphiphilic pillar[n]arenes

"Rim-Differentiated" Pillar[6]arenes

A "rim-differentiated" pillar[6]arene (RD-P[6]) was obtained successfully, with the assistance of a dimeric silver trifluoroacetate template, among eight different constitutional isomers in a direct and regioselective manner. The solid-state conformation of this macrocycle could switch from the 1,3,5-alternate to a truly rim-differentiated one upon guest inclusion. This highly symmetric RD-P[6] not only hosts metal-containing molecules inside its cavity, but also can form a pillar[6]arene-C₆₀ adduct through co-crystallization on account of donor-acceptor interactions. The development of synthetic strategies to desymmetrize pillararenes offers new opportunities for engineering complex molecular architectures and organic electronic materials.

A Triazole Functionalized txt-Type Metal-Organic Framework with High Performance for CH4 Uptake and Selective CO2 Adsorption

The metal-organic framework (MOF) NTUniv-54 (NTUniv = Nantong University) was assembled via utilizing click chemistry with densely decorated trizole units and exposed metal sites, which exhibited the best methane working ability (197 cm³·cm^-3 from 100 to 5 bar and 177 cm³·cm^-3 from 65 to 5 bar at 298 K), and the lowest CO₂ Q_st of 22.8 kJ·mol^-1 in all triazole-MOFs at room temperature.

Pillararene-based AIEgens: research progress and appealing applications

The pillararene-based AIEgens and AIE materials, constructed using different assembly forms, show attractive applications in various areas.

Supramolecular delivery systems based on pillararenes

Supramolecular delivery systems (SDSs) fabricated via molecular assembly, which conveniently allow integration of multiple functions in a single system and structural diversity of systems, are a very active research area due to their enormous potential in biomedical applications, including drug delivery, cell imaging, diagnosis, and release monitoring. Pillararenes, a novel type of macrocyclic molecule, are gaining increasing interest as an important component in the construction of SDSs due to their unique structural and chemical properties. This feature article summarizes pillararene-based SDSs constructed via host-guest interactions via four strategies: (1) supramolecular host-guest complexation; (2) self-assembly of supramolecular amphiphiles; (3) self-assembly of amphiphilic supramolecular polymer conjugates; (4) hybridization with other porous materials, such as inorganic materials and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The various SDSs based on pillararenes for the delivery of different cargoes from anti-cancer drugs, fluorescent molecules, siRNAs, and insulin to antibiotics are reviewed. Furthermore, future challenges for advanced SDSs based on pillararenes and their broader applications are outlined.