Europium-Directed Self-Assembly of a Luminescent Supramolecular Gel from a Tripodal Terpyridine-Based Ligand

摘要

The formation of complex and functional molecular structures triggered by the use of small templates and self-assembly processes is central to polymer and supramolecular chemistry, nanotechnology, and in the generation of novel materials. The use of metal-directed synthesis is recognized as being a key approach in the formation of such self-assemblies. Concomitantly, the formation of molecular gels by the controlled assembly into fibrous architectures has also gained significant interest, but such soft materials have found and have enormous application potentials across different subjects and disciplines. Consequently, a wide range of gelators based on organic molecules for the generation of organo and hydrogels have been developed to date. These systems are known to self-assemble unidirectionally, mainly through weak interactions, such as dispersion forces, hydrogen bonding, π-π, and electrostatic interactions.