Halogen Bonds Fabricate 2D Molecular Self-Assembled Nanostructures by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Exploring the full range of N⋯I⋯X halogen-bonding interactions within a single compound using pressure

The response of the trimethylammonium-iodinechloride and diiodide (TMA-ICl/I2) crystal structures have been examined under high pressure using neutron powder diffraction. TMA-ICl exhibits impressive pressure-driven electronic flexibility, where the N⋯I-Cl interactions progressively encompass all the distances represented in analogous structures recorded in the Cambridge Structural Database. Comparison with the TMA-I2 complex reveals that this flexibility is owed to the electronegativity of the chlorine atom which induces increased distortion of the iodine electron cloud. This structural flexibility may be influential in the future design of functional molecular materials.

Symmetry of Pyridine Derivatives Controlled Two-Dimensional Nanostructural Diversity by Co-Assembly with Aromatic Carboxylic Acids

The self-assembly behaviors of aromatic carboxylic acids are commonly investigated at the liquid/solid interfaces because of their rigid skeletons and both hydrogen-bond donors and receptors. However, self-assemblies of aromatic carboxylic acids with low symmetry and interactions between carboxylic acid and pyridine derivatives are worth exploring. In this work, the self-assembled structural transitions of a kind of low-symmetric aromatic carboxylic acid (H4QDA) are regulated by the coadsorption of two pyridine derivatives (DPE and T4PT) with different symmetry, which are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy under ambient conditions. For the H4QDA/DPE system, the grid structure appears. For the H4QDA/T4PT system, the coassembled morphologies display an obvious concentration dependence. With the increase of solution concentration of T4PT, three coassembled patterns (network structure, chiral linear structure, and brick-like structure) are observed. Corresponding structural models suggest that the O-H···N hydrogen bonds have great contributions to stabilizing these coassembled structures. Our studies will help to explore the complexity, diversity, and functionality of multiple component systems and are conducive to further understanding the underlying mechanisms in the assembly process.

Two-dimensional molecular networks at the solid/liquid interface and the role of alkyl chains in their building blocks

Nanoarchitectonics has attracted increasing attention owing to its potential applications in nanomachines, nanoelectronics, catalysis, and nanopatterning, which can contribute to overcoming global problems related to energy and environment, among others. However, the fabrication of ordered nanoarchitectures remains a challenge, even in two dimensions. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the self-assembly processes and substantial factors for building ordered structures is critical for tailoring flexible and desirable nanoarchitectures. Scanning tunneling microscopy is a powerful tool for revealing the molecular conformations, arrangements, and orientations of two-dimensional (2D) networks on surfaces. The fabrication of 2D assemblies involves non-covalent interactions that play a significant role in the molecular arrangement and orientation. Among the non-covalent interactions, dispersion interactions that derive from alkyl chain units are believed to be weak. However, alkyl chains play an important role in the adsorption onto substrates, as well as in the in-plane intermolecular interactions. In this review, we focus on the role of alkyl chains in the formation of ordered 2D assemblies at the solid/liquid interface. The alkyl chain effects on the 2D assemblies are introduced together with examples documented in the past decades.

Modulating the Inclusive and Coordinating Ability of Thiacalix[4]arene and Its Antenna Effect on Yb3-Luminescence via Upper-Rim Substitution+

The present work introduces the series of thiacalix[4]arenes (H₄L) bearing different upper-rim substituents (R = H, Br, NO₂) for rational design of ligands providing an antenna-effect on the NIR Yb³⁺-centered luminescence of their Yb³⁺ complexes. The unusual inclusive self-assembly of H₃L⁻ (Br) through Br…π interactions is revealed through single-crystal XRD analysis. Thermodynamically favorable formation of dimeric complexes [2Yb³⁺:2HL³⁻] leads to efficient sensitizing of the Yb³⁺ luminescence for H₄L (Br, NO₂), while poor sensitizing is observed for ligand H₄L (H). X-ray analysis of the single crystal separated from the basified DMF solutions of YbCl₃ and H₄L(NO₂) has revealed the transformation of the dimeric complexes into [4Yb³⁺:2L⁴⁻] ones with a cubane-like cluster structure. The luminescence characteristics of the complexes in the solutions reveal the peculiar antenna effect of H₄L(R = NO₂), where the triplet level at 567 nm (17,637 cm⁻¹) arisen from ILCT provides efficient sensitizing of the Yb³⁺ luminescence.