Star PolyMOCs with Diverse Structures, Dynamics, and Functions by Three-Component Assembly

We report star polymer metal–organic cage (polyMOC) materials whose structures, mechanical properties, functionalities, and dynamics can all be precisely tailored through a simple three-component assembly strategy. The star polyMOC network is composed of tetra-arm star polymers functionalized with ligands on the chain ends, small molecule ligands, and palladium ions; polyMOCs are formed via metal–ligand coordination and thermal annealing. The ratio of small molecule ligands to polymer-bound ligands determines the connectivity of the MOC junctions and the network structure. The use of large M 12 L 24 MOCs enables great flexibility in tuning this ratio, which provides access to a rich spectrum of material properties including tunable moduli and relaxation dynamics.
National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award CHE-1334703)