Abstract
Developing discrete radical organometallic nanocages is essential for fabricating functional materials. In this study, we construct a series of poly-NHC-based (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) organometallic nanocages 3a–3c with different sizes by employing redox-active bis(triarylamine) derivatives with different π-conjugated spacers as building blocks. The varied sizes of nanocages 3a–3c modulate the distance of the redox-active centers and reversibly convert them to radical nanocages 3a2+–3c2+ through chemical and electrochemical oxidation. Radical nanocages 3a2+–3c2+ display clear bond and angle alteration and retention of their three-dimensional topologies. This work not only merely proves that these nanocages are excellent stimulus-responsive materials but also opens a door to the rational design of novel radical organometallic nanocages.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (No. 22025107), the National Youth Top-notch Talent Support Program of China, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and the FM&EM International Joint Laboratory of Northwest University.
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Jin, GF., Zhang, YZ., Yu, L. et al. Radical organometallic nanocages with redox switchable poly-NHC ligands. Nano Res. 16, 10678–10683 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5690-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5690-2