title: Organometallic rotaxane dendrimers with fourth-generation mechanically interlocked branches.
abstract: Mechanically interlocked molecules, such as catenanes, rotaxanes, and knots, have applications in information storage, switching devices, and chemical catalysis. Rotaxanes are dumbbell-shaped molecules that are threaded through a large ring, and the relative motion of the two components along each other can respond to external stimuli. Multiple rotaxane units can amplify responsiveness, and repetitively branched molecules--dendrimers--can serve as vehicles for assembly of many rotaxanes on single, monodisperse compounds. Here, we report the synthesis of higher-generation rotaxane dendrimers by a divergent approach. Linkages were introduced as spacer elements to reduce crowding and to facilitate rotaxane motion, even at the congested periphery of the compounds up to the fourth generation. The structures were characterized by 1D multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, and (31)P) and 2D NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF-MS, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and microscopy-based methods including atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). AFM and TEM studies of rotaxane dendrimers vs. model dendrimers show that the rotaxane units enhance the rigidity and reduce the tendency of these assemblies to collapse by self-folding. Surface functionalization of the dendrimers with ferrocenes as termini produced electrochemically active assemblies. The preparation of dendrimers with a well-defined topological structure, enhanced rigidity, and diverse functional groups opens previously unidentified avenues for the application of these materials in molecular electronics and materials science.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China;
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China;
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China;
authors.forename: Xu-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666;
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666;
authors.forename: Xiaopeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China; and.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China; and.
authors.forename: Jiameng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China; and.
authors.forename: Yihua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Minghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China; hbyang@chem.ecnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hai-Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Yang
keywords: controllable divergent approach; dynamic supramolecular systems; platinum acetylide; rotaxane dendrimer; surface modification