Title
Sigmoidally hydrochromic molecular porous crystal with rotatable dendrons
Author
Hiroshi Yamagishi, Sae Nakajima, Jooyoung Yoo, Masato Okazaki, Youhei Takeda, Satoshi Minakata, Ken Albrecht, Kimihisa Yamamoto, Irene Badía-Domínguez, Maria Moreno Oliva, M. Carmen Ruiz Delgado, Yuka Ikemoto, Hiroyasu Sato, Kenta Imoto, Kosuke Nakagawa, Hiroko Tokoro, Shin-ichi Ohkoshi & Yohei Yamamoto
Year
2020
Journal
Communications Chemistry volume 3, Article number: 118 (2020)
Abstract
Vapochromic behaviour of porous crystals is beneficial for facile and rapid detection of gaseous molecules without electricity. Toward this end, tailored molecular designs have been established for metal–organic, covalent-bonded and hydrogen-bonded frameworks. Here, we explore the hydrochromic chemistry of a van der Waals (VDW) porous crystal. The VDW porous crystal VPC-1 is formed from a novel aromatic dendrimer having a dibenzophenazine core and multibranched carbazole dendrons. Although the constituent molecules are connected via VDW forces, VPC-1 maintains its structural integrity even after desolvation. VPC-1 exhibits reversible colour changes upon uptake/release of water molecules due to the charge transfer character of the constituent dendrimer. Detailed structural analyses reveal that the outermost carbazole units alone are mobile in the crystal and twist simultaneously in response to water vapour. Thermodynamic analysis suggests that the sigmoidal water sorption is induced by the affinity alternation of the pore surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic.
Full Article
Instrument
V-570, FP-8500
Keywords
raman, vapochromic, hydrochromic, van der Waals porous crystal