Authors: Han Fang | Hong‐Xiang Nie | Mei‐Hui Yu | Ze Chang
Source: Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) (article, 2023-12-04)
Field: Chemistry — Inorganic Chemistry

Construction and properties regulation of the functional host-guest micro-/nano-confined space in coordination polymers <p indent="0mm">Host-guest chemistry, distinguished by its involvement in the self-assembly of molecular systems into well-organized functional assemblies through supramolecular interactions, remains a fundamental concept within the field of supramolecular chemistry. Porous coordination polymers (PCPs) represent a fascinating and distinctive category of porous crystalline materials that have increasingly captured the attention of researchers. Owing to the modularized design and construction features of PCPs, they could exhibit highly tunable framework structures and properties, which have been developed as an exciting realm for exploration. The remarkable tunability of micro-nano confined space in PCPs, stemming from their versatile structures and components, make them a highly versatile host platform for the construction of functional host-guest systems through the introduction of various guest species. The highly tunable size and geometry of the confined space in the host framework of PCPs allow the manipulation of the distribution and arrangement of guest species, and the diversity of PCPs hosts and guest species endows the corresponding host-guest systems with distinctive host-guest interactions. The interaction between hosts and guests may induce new features such as electron/energy transfer, redox reactions, or other processes, resulting in emergent properties different from those of the individual hosts or guests. Accordingly, the functionalization of micro-nano confined space in PCPs could be achieved to give rise to a vast array of functional materials. The resulting host-guest PCPs can exhibit a wealth of properties and potential applications, and their performance can be optimized by adjusting the host, guest, and host-guest interactions. Therefore, host-guest PCPs have attracted much attention in the current research, and have gradually become a research hotspot. However, the research on the strategy and method of functionally oriented construction of micro-/nano-confined space in PCPs is still going deep, so it is indispensable to review the rational construction and regulation of PCPs system and its application of functionally oriented research. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of recent advancements in the construction and properties regulation of the functional micro-/nano-confined space in coordination polymers focusing on the luminance and electricity properties. The comprehensive understanding and analysis of host-guest PCPs, encompassing the components of host-guest systems and the diverse interactions between species have been reviewed and discussed. Based on this, the design and fine-tuning principles for the construction of micro-/nano-confined space in PCPs have been highlighted. Additionally, the review offers an overview of recent exemplary cases wherein host-guest PCPs have been purposefully constructed to optimize a range of properties, including optical and electrical characteristics. In addition, the further development direction and challenges needed to be addressed are raised, including the controllable orientation and ordered arrangement of guest species, understanding the interactions between PCPs and guests, exploring the combination of different guest species and developing host-guest PCPs-based devices. The insights derived from this comprehensive review will serve as invaluable guidelines, offering researchers and innovators a solid reference for shaping the future of this rapidly evolving field. Host (biology) ; Nano- ; Space (punctuation) ; Polymer ; Functional polymers ; Nanotechnology ; Materials science ; Computer science ; Biology ; Composite material ; Copolymer ; Ecology Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications ; Supramolecular Chemistry and Complexes ; Crystallography and molecular interactions