Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, China.
Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University , Tianjin 300072, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2017 Apr 5;9(13):11889-11894. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b00363. Epub 2017 Mar 24.
Supramolecular polymers are polymers based on monomeric units held together with directional and reversible noncovalent interactions. Compared with traditional polymers, they possess better processability and better recycling properties, owing to their reversible monomer-to-polymer transition. Herein, we report the construction of a new supramolecular system through self-assembly of a thymine-substituted copillar[5]arene 1 and a tetraphenylethylene (TPE) derivative 2 in the presence of Hg. Copillar[5]arene 1 can coordinate with Hg tightly through T-Hg-T pairings. On the other hand, 1 can bind with guest molecule 2 through host-guest interactions between the pillararene cavity and the nitrile moiety of 2. These joint interactions generate crisscrossed networks composed of 1, 2, and Hg, which eventually wrap into spherical nanoparticles. Due to the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of 2, the formed supramolecular polymer exhibits strong fluorescence which renders convenient the detection of the Hg-containing nanoparticles and the subsequent removal procedure. Furthermore, the polymer precipitate can be readily isolated by simple treatment, and the pseudorotaxane 2 ⊂ 1 can be recycled and reused. Our study has demonstrated a practical strategy for the sensing and removal of heavy metal ions in water by the construction of supramolecular polymers.
超分子聚合物是基于单体单元通过定向和可逆的非共价相互作用结合在一起的聚合物。与传统聚合物相比，由于其单体到聚合物的可逆转变，它们具有更好的加工性能和更好的回收性能。在此，我们报告了通过胸腺嘧啶取代的柱状[5]芳烃 1 和四苯乙烯（TPE）衍生物 2 在 Hg 的存在下自组装构建的新型超分子体系。柱[5]芳烃 1 可以通过 T-Hg-T 配对与 Hg 紧密配位。另一方面，1 可以通过主体-客体相互作用与客体分子 2 结合，主体-客体相互作用发生在 2 的柱芳烃腔和腈部分之间。这些联合相互作用产生由 1、2 和 Hg 组成的交错网络，最终包裹成球形纳米颗粒。由于 2 的聚集诱导发射（AIE）特性，形成的超分子聚合物表现出强烈的荧光，这使得含 Hg 的纳米颗粒的检测和随后的去除过程变得方便。此外，聚合物沉淀物可以通过简单的处理很容易地分离出来，并且假轮烷 2⊂1 可以回收和再利用。我们的研究通过构建超分子聚合物展示了一种在水中检测和去除重金属离子的实用策略。
