Precise Synthesis of Concentric Ring, Helicoid, and Ladder Metallo- Polymers with Chevron-Shaped Monomers

Molecular geometry represents one of the most important structural features and governs physical properties and functions of materials. Nature creates a wide array of substances with distinct geometries but similar chemical composition with superior efficiency and precision. However, it remains a formidable challenge to construct abiological macromolecules with various geometries based on identical repeating units, owing to the lack of corresponding synthetic approaches for precisely manipulating the connectivity between monomers and feasible techniques for characterizing macromolecules at the single-molecule level. Herein, we design and synthesize a series of tetratopic monomers with chevron stripe shape which serve as the key precursors to produce four distinct types of metallo-macromolecules with well-defined geometries, viz., the concentric hexagon, helicoid polymer, ladder polymer, and cross-linked polymer, via platinum-acetylide couplings. Concentric hexagon, helicoid, and ladder metallo-polymers are directly visualized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and ultra-high-vacuum low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy at the single-molecule level. Finally, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are selected as the guest to investigate the structure-property relationship based on such macromolecules, among which the helicoid metallo-polymer shows high efficiency in wrapping SWCNTs with geometry-dependent selectivity.

Automated summary

Molecular geometry plays a crucial role in determining the structural features, physical properties, and functions of materials, but constructing macromolecules with diverse geometries remains a challenge. Researchers have successfully designed and synthesized tetratopic monomers with unique shapes to produce metallo-macromolecules with clearly defined geometries, which were visualized at the single-molecule level. In studies of structure-property relationships, the helicoid metallo-polymer shows high efficiency and geometry-dependent selectivity in wrapping single-walled carbon nanotubes.