Self-Assembly of Metal–Organic Cages in Microdroplets: An Interdisciplinary Teaching Module

IF 3 3区教育学 Q2 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Chemical Education Pub Date : 2026-10-13 Epub Date: 2026-07-27 DOI:10.1021/acs.jchemed.6c00146

Tongxia Jin, Yan Liu, Yi-Ying Guo, Wei-Tao Dou, Xuhong Qian, Hai-Bo Yang, Lin Xu

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Abstract

This teaching experiment presents an interdisciplinary platform that offers integrated training in organic synthesis, supramolecular assembly, microfluidics, and spectroscopic characterization by combining subcomponent self-assembly of metal–organic cages with droplet-based microfluidic technology. A microdroplet generation system is constructed to systematically investigate droplet formation at immiscible liquid interfaces, where controlled flow rates enable the reproducible production of size-tunable, monodisperse oil-in-solvent droplets. The influence of spatial confinement on supramolecular self-assembly is then examined by comparing the formation efficiency of cage C1, assembled from L1, 2-formylpyridine (L2), and Zn(NTf₂)₂ (L3), in conventional bulk vials and microdroplet environments. ¹H NMR analysis demonstrates that complete assembly of C1 is achieved within 60 min under microdroplet confinement, whereas the corresponding bulk reaction remains incomplete even after 720 min. In addition, the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior of cage C1 and its ligand component L1 is systematically explored using UV–vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, elucidating the dependence of their photophysical properties on solvent composition. Overall, this experiment highlights the pedagogical value of integrating micro/nanoscale confinement with molecular self-assembly and provides an effective framework for cultivating students’ experimental skills in advanced synthesis, microfluidic manipulation, and spectral analysis.

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金属有机笼在微滴中的自组装：一个跨学科的教学模块

本教学实验将金属有机笼的子组分自组装与微流控技术相结合，提供有机合成、超分子组装、微流控和光谱表征的跨学科综合训练平台。微液滴生成系统是为了系统地研究在非混相液体界面上的液滴形成，在这种界面上，控制流速可以重现生产尺寸可调的单分散溶剂油液滴。通过比较笼C1(由L1、2-甲酰基吡啶（L2）和Zn（NTf2)2 （L3）组装而成）在常规散装小瓶和微滴环境中的形成效率，研究了空间限制对超分子自组装的影响。1H NMR分析表明，在微液滴约束下，C1的完整组装在60分钟内完成，而相应的体反应即使在720分钟后仍然不完整。此外，利用紫外-可见吸收和荧光光谱技术系统地研究了笼C1及其配体组分L1的聚集诱导发光（AIE）行为，阐明了它们的光物理性质与溶剂组成的依赖关系。总的来说，本实验突出了将微/纳米尺度约束与分子自组装相结合的教学价值，并为培养学生在高级合成，微流体操作和光谱分析方面的实验技能提供了有效的框架。

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来源期刊

Journal of Chemical Education 化学-化学综合

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

50.00%

发文量

465

审稿时长

6.5 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Chemical Education is the official journal of the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society, co-published with the American Chemical Society Publications Division. Launched in 1924, the Journal of Chemical Education is the world’s premier chemical education journal. The Journal publishes peer-reviewed articles and related information as a resource to those in the field of chemical education and to those institutions that serve them. JCE typically addresses chemical content, activities, laboratory experiments, instructional methods, and pedagogies. The Journal serves as a means of communication among people across the world who are interested in the teaching and learning of chemistry. This includes instructors of chemistry from middle school through graduate school, professional staff who support these teaching activities, as well as some scientists in commerce, industry, and government.