Volume 137, Issue 8 e202422444
Zuschrift

Highly Selective Construction of Unique Cyclic [4]Catenanes Induced by Multiple Noncovalent Interactions

Li-Long Dang

Corresponding Author

Li-Long Dang

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Jie Zheng

Jie Zheng

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

College of materials and Chemical Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002 P. R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Dan Tian

Dan Tian

Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037 P. R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Yin-Hang Chai

Yin-Hang Chai

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

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Tian-Tian Wu

Tian-Tian Wu

Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037 P. R. China

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Jian-Xin Yang

Jian-Xin Yang

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

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Peng Wang

Peng Wang

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

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Ying Zhao

Ying Zhao

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

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Francisco Aznarez

Francisco Aznarez

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

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Prof. Lu-Fang Ma

Corresponding Author

Prof. Lu-Fang Ma

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Henan Province Function-Oriented Porous Materials Key Laboratory, Luoyang, 471934 P. R. China

College of materials and Chemical Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002 P. R. China

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First published: 23 December 2024

Abstract

The synthesis of high-ordered mechanically interlocked supramolecular structures is an extremely challenging topic. Only two linear [4]catenanes have been reported so far and there is no defined strategy to obtain cyclic [4]catenane. Herein, two unprecedented cyclic [4]catenanes, 1 and 2, were prepared in high yields. The syntheses rely on the strategic selection of naphthalenediimide (NDI) based Cp*Rh/Ir building blocks E1/E2 (Cp*=pentamethyl-cyclopentadienyl) and nonlinear diimidazole ligand precursor L1, exhibiting large conjugate plane, appropriate coordination angles, and freely rotating imidazole units, thereby enabling multiple π⋅⋅⋅π stacking interactions to maintain the supramolecular structures. The use of other Cp*Rh building blocks E3, E4 or E5 featuring slightly shorter metal-to-metal distances than E1/E2 and different chemical properties led to the formation of a complex 3 and two metallamacrocycles 4 or 5, respectively. The structures of these assemblies were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis, ESI-TOF-MS and NMR spectroscopy. Complex 1, exhibiting a broad-band absorption in the UV/Vis to NIR regions and a remarkable photothermal conversion was thereafter used to build the new 1 membrane. The solar power-induced water steam generation performance of 1 membrane was investigated, reaching a value of 2.37 kg ⋅ m−2 ⋅ h−1, making it suitable for collection of fresh water via desalination and wastewater.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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