A polyrotaxanated covalent organic network based on viologen and cucurbit7uril

G Das and SK Sharma and T Prakasam and F Gandara and R Mathew and N Alkhatib and N Saleh and R Pasricha and JC Olsen and M Baias and S Kirmizialtin and R Jagannathan and A Trabolsi, COMMUNICATIONS CHEMISTRY, 2, 106 (2019).

DOI: 10.1038/s42004-019-0207-3

Since their initial presentation in 2005 by Yaghi and co-workers, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been the focus of much development. Here we introduce mechanical bonds into COFs by employing a method that involves supramolecular self-assembly, dynamic imine-bond formation, and liquid-liquid interfacial condensation and produces a continuous 2D polyrotaxaneted film. A diamino-viologen linker is complexed with the macrocycle cucurbit7uril (CB7) to form pseudorotaxanes that then condense with an aromatic tri-aldehyde core at the interface of two solvents. The unrotaxanated COF is prepared by condensing the viologen and the trialdehyde in the absence of CB7, and the chemical and physical properties of the formed films are compared. The CB7-encapsulated film is mechanically and thermally more robust and more luminescent. The synthetic strategy presented here allows the incorporation of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) into polymeric materials and provides access to materials that have properties and functionalities that are yet to be explored.

Return to Publications page