Cooperative intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding in scaffolded squaramide arrays†

The structural, self-assembly and binding properties of oligo-(phenylene-ethynylene) (OPE) rigid rods linked to squaramides (SQs) have been studied and correlated with rod length. In the solid-state, OPE–SQ conjugates form indefinite arrays of head-to-tail hydrogen bonded SQs, arrays that include both intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. In dichloromethane solution, intramolecularly hydrogen bonded SQ chains show cooperative polarisation, an effect that increases with OPE–SQ length. Appending powerful hydrogen bonding groups to the OPE–SQ termini further increases this intramolecular polarisation. Greater end-to-end polarisation leads to stronger intermolecular interactions, with longer OPE–SQs showing stronger hydrogen bonding to DMSO as well as stronger self-association. These studies show how cooperative hydrogen bond polarisation in a hydrogen bonded array can be strengthened and how this polarisation can continue intermolecularly.