Themed collection ISACS18: Challenges in Organic Materials and Supramolecular Chemistry

Delocalized over aromatic planes, anion–π interactions emerge as best to stabilize long-distance charge displacements in domino reactions of highest sophistication.

Highly electron deficient thiophene building blocks are used to induce LUMO-conducting behaviour from the parent HOMO-conducting pentathiophene in single-molecule junctions.

We demonstrate a variety of template-directed strategies for preparing linear monodisperse butadiyne-linked porphyrin oligomers by Glaser–Hay coupling, based on the coordination of pyridine-substituted nickel(II) porphyrins to zinc(II) porphyrins.

Inclusion of a perfluorophenyl endgroup enables the ready functionalization of water soluble polythiophenes under mild conditions.

The successful self-assembly of a stimuli-responsive aqueous supramolecular hyperbranched polymer from small molecules and the macrocyclic host cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) is reported. This self-healing supramolecular network can act as a soft matter barrier at liquid–liquid interfaces.

The stability of copper/zinc heterometallated porphyrin complex oligomers provides information on the strength of the copper porphyrin pyridine interaction. Heterometallated nanorings were prepared by template-directed synthesis.

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals the molecular geometry and metal–ligand interactions in template-bound ten-membered bis-copper porphyrin nanorings.

A two-component hybrid system consisting of organic dye nanoparticles (ash) and a protein (blue) at different ratios allows for the design of narrow range tunable nanoprobes for sensing and imaging of pH variations in live cells through ratiometric signalling.

Here we examine the impact of ring conformation on the charge transport characteristics of cyclic pentasilane structures bound to gold electrodes in single molecule junctions.

We create polymeric self-assembly morphologies by exploiting the anion binding features of the so-called ‘Texas-sized’ molecular box.

We report how to identify orthogonal self-assembly and describe guidelines to achieve self-sorting in self-assembled mixed systems.

We report the orthogonal assembly of two structurally dissimilar catalytic hydrogelators with mutually incompatible functional groups able to retain their individual catalytic activity and thus catalyse tandem reactions in one pot.

A series of fluorescent anion transporters have been synthesised and their anion transport properties and interactions with cancer cell lines studied.

The existence of three fully orthogonal dynamic covalent bonds is demonstrated in solution and in functional surface architectures.

Supercoiled fibres of self-sorted donor–acceptor assemblies that allow the sensing of nitroaromatics and aromatic amines using a “turn-off/turn-on” mechanism are reported.

Shown in graphic form is the use of mild basic conditions to effect the post-synthetic, ring-opening based modification of a tetraimidazolium macrocycle known as the “Texas box”. This ring opening modulates the intrinsic binding characteristics of the system.

Real time monitoring of blood aminothiol level by a near-IR dye assisted fluorescence–photoacoustic bimodal imaging is reported.

Tetrakis- and hexakis(1H-pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde) anion receptors are described that undergo conformational reorganization in order to accommodate the dihydrogenphosphate and pyrophosphate anions.

We study single cluster electrical transport in a series of metal chalcogenide molecular clusters using scanning tunneling microscope-based break-junction measurements.

A QSAR analysis of the transmembrane anion transport activity of 43 synthetic tambjamine analogs allowed rationalization of this activity according to their lipophilicity and structural parameters.

We report the first soluble poly(3-dodecyl tellurophenylenevinylene) and compare its properties to the analogous thiophene and selenophene containing polymers.

A systematic and quantitative study on the role of capsule stiffness in cellular processing was performed using hyaluronic acid capsules with tunable stiffness constructed via continuous assembly of polymers.

The development of mechanically interlocked molecular systems programmed to operate autonomously in biological environments is an emerging field of research with potential medicinal applications.