Cucurbitnuril-Based Supramolecular Frameworks Assembled through Outer-Surface Interactions

摘要

Porous materials, especially metal-organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, and supramolecular organic frameworks, are widely used in heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption, and ion exchange. Cucurbitnurils (Qns) suitable building units for porous materials because they possess cavities with neutral electrostatic potential, portal carbonyls with negative electrostatic potential, and outer surfaces with positive electrostatic potential, which may result in the formation of Qn-based supramolecular frameworks (QSFs) assembled through the interaction of guests within Qns, the coordination of Qns with metal ions, and outer-surface interaction of Qns (OSIQ). This review summarizes the various QSFs assembled via OSIQs. The QSFs can be classified as being assembled by 1) self-induced OSIQ, 2) anion-induced OSIQ, and 3) aromatic-induced OSIQ. The design and construction of QSFs with novel structures and specific functional properties may establish a new research direction in Qn chemistry.