Decorating polymer beads with 1014 inorganic-organic [2]rotaxanes as shown by spin counting

Polymer beads are used in the core of magnetic particles, and beads functionalised with paramagnetic molecules are promising as agents for dynamic nuclear polarization. Here, the authors use conventional click chemistry to decorate a polymer bead with 10(14) [2]rotaxanes containing paramagnetic {Cr7Ni} rings. Polymer beads have been used as the core of magnetic particles for around twenty years. Here we report studies to attach polymetallic complexes to polymer beads for the first time, producing beads of around 115 microns diameter that are attached to 10(14) hybrid inorganic-organic [2]rotaxanes. The bead is then formally a [10(14)] rotaxane. The number of complexes attached is counted by EPR spectroscopy after including TEMPO radicals within the thread of the hybrid [2]rotaxanes.

Automated summary

The authors used click chemistry to decorate polymer beads with paramagnetic molecules, which is a promising approach for dynamic nuclear polarization. This study represents the first attempt to attach polymetallic complexes to polymer beads, creating hybrid inorganic-organic rotaxanes.