Institute of Advanced Synthesis and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China.
Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore.
J Am Chem Soc. 2020 Sep 9;142(36):15396-15402. doi: 10.1021/jacs.0c06190. Epub 2020 Aug 27.
Controlled docking, merging, and welding of hollow structures at the nanoscale are essential in constructing sophisticated hollow systems in ways similar to plumbing and biosystems. To this end, regioselectivity is an important milestone demanding new tools. We bring the steric effect, a powerful regioselective method in organic reactions, to the nanoscale. By tuning the exposed liquid area of Janus nanobowls, the sterics of the merging -xylene liquid template can be precisely modulated, giving high-purity dimers (93.6%) and tetramers (80.6%) in one step. The shape uniformity of the nanobowls, the precise percentage of the exposed liquid, and, most importantly, the error correction in merging liquid domains are the critical factors leading to the precise regioselectivity. We believe that the development of a new regioselective tool and the understanding in docking and welding hollow structures would expand the horizon of nanoscience, opening new possibilities for designing sophisticated nanosystems.
在纳米尺度上对中空结构进行受控对接、融合和焊接对于以类似于管道和生物系统的方式构建复杂的中空系统至关重要。为此，区域选择性是一个重要的里程碑，需要新的工具。我们将立体效应，一种在有机反应中具有强大区域选择性的方法，引入到纳米尺度。通过调节 Janus 纳米碗的暴露液体面积，可以精确调节合并 -二甲苯液体模板的立体位阻，一步即可得到高纯度的二聚体（93.6%）和四聚体（80.6%）。纳米碗的形状均匀性、暴露液体的精确百分比，以及最重要的是，合并液体域中的误差校正，是导致精确区域选择性的关键因素。我们相信，新的区域选择性工具的开发以及对中空结构对接和焊接的理解将扩展纳米科学的视野，为设计复杂的纳米系统开辟新的可能性。
