A CuI-based metallo-supramolecular gel-like material buil from a library of oligomeric ligands featuring exotopic 1,10-phenanthroline units

A 22-membered cyclic alkene C1 incorporating an exotopic
1,10-phenanthroline nucleus in the ring skeleton has been
synthesized and subjected to ring-opening metathesis polymerization
(ROMP) in dilute dichloromethane solution at
varying monomer concentrations (cmon). The resultant libraries
of macrocyclic oligomers were used as ligands for the
generation of main-chain metal-ligand oligomeric/polymeric complexes taking advantage of the strong affinity of 1,10-
phenanthroline derivatives for CuI. The formation of a gellike
material only upon addition of [Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6 to the
most concentrated library (cmon = 60mM) was explained as
arising from the presence of significant amounts of trimeric
and higher oligomeric macrocycles Ci (i 3), acting as crosslinking
components.