Computationally-Inspired Discovery of an Unsymmetrical Porous Organic Cage
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Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A completely unsymmetrical porous organic cage was synthesised from a C2v symmetrical building block that was identified by a computational screen. The cage was formed through a 12-fold imine condensation of a tritopic C2v symmetric trialdehyde with a ditopic C2 symmetric diamine in a [4 + 6] reaction. The cage was rigid and microporous, as predicted by the simulations, with an apparent Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 578 m2 g−1. The reduced symmetry of the tritopic building block relative to its topicity meant there were 36 possible structural isomers of the cage. Experimental characterisation suggests a single isomer with 12 unique imine environments, but techniques such as NMR could not conclusively identify the isomer. Computational structural and electronic analysis of the possible isomers was used to identify the most likely candidates, and hence to construct a 3-dimensional model of the amorphous solid. The rational design of unsymmetrical cages using building blocks with reduced symmetry offers new possibilities in controlling the degree of crystallinity, porosity, and solubility, of self-assembled materials.
Date Issued
2018-12-21
Date Acceptance
2018-11-17
Citation
Nanoscale, 2018, 10 (47), pp.22381-22388
ISSN
2040-3364
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Start Page
22381
End Page
22388
Journal / Book Title
Nanoscale
Volume
10
Issue
47
Copyright Statement
© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018.
Sponsor
The Royal Society
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (E
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Commission of the European Communities
Grant Number
UF120469
EP/M017257/1
EP/N004884/1
EP/P005543/1
758370
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Technology
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Physics, Applied
Chemistry
Science & Technology - Other Topics
Materials Science
Physics
NMR CHEMICAL-SHIFTS
MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS
BASIS-SETS
DENSITY FUNCTIONALS
FORCE-FIELD
DESIGN
SHAPE
SELECTIVITY
DIFFUSION
H-1
10 Technology
02 Physical Sciences
03 Chemical Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-11-20