Surface inclusion and dynamics of cucurbit[7]uril-based supramolecular complexes

Abstract

A supramolecular complex acting as a molecular rotor was assembled from cucurbit[7]uril and a rigid, rod-shaped molecular anchor. This rotor was then anchored to the facets of a hexagonal tris(o-phenylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene matrix, forming a regular 2D array. Semi-empirical calculations revealed very low rotational barriers for the macrocyclic units within this array, suggesting smooth rotational motion and promising potential for future applications in dynamic molecular systems.