Construction of Luminescent Terpyridine-Based Metallo-Bowties with Alkyl Chain-Bridged Dimerized Building Blocks

Abstract

Numerous metallo-supramolecules with well-defined sizes and shapes have been successfully constructed via the strong coordination interaction between terpyridine (TPY) moieties and ruthenium cations. However, the pseudo-octahedral geometry of <TPY-Ru-TPY> unit hampers the luminescent properties of such metallo-architectures, thus limiting their applications as optical materials. To address this issue, we herein use a flexible alkyl chain to bridge TPY building blocks, replacing conventional <TPY-Ru-TPY> linkage. The introduction of alkyl chain guides the self-assembly into desired architecture while simultaneously eliminating the quenching effects typically associated with the <TPY-Ru-TPY> linkage. More importantly, this design strategy enables the precise construction of bowtie-shaped metallo-supramolecules with significantly enhanced emission. The incorporation of alkyl chain linkage not only maintains structural integrity but also enhances optical performance, making these metallo-supramolecular assemblies highly promising for applications in advanced photonic and luminescent materials. This study offers a versatile approach to construct complex metallo-supramolecular architectures with desired optical properties.