Template and Solid-State-Assisted Assembly of an M9L6 Expanded Coordination Cage for Medium-Sized Molecule Encapsulation.

Abstract

The M₆L₄ cage, self-assembling from six Pd(II) or Pt(II) 90-degree blocks and four triazine-cored triangular ligands, has an effective hydrophobic cavity of about 450 ų capable of encapsulating one or more small molecules. Here, from the same components, we successfully constructed an M₉L₆ cage with an internal volume expanded to 1540 ų via the self-assembly of an M₈L₆ precursor using pillar[5]arene as a template. This cage retains the high molecular recognition ability of the M₆L₄ cage while recognizing medium-sized guest molecules with molecular weights of up to ∼1600.