The bowl-shaped molecular container (BSMC) has attracted much attention due to its unique structure and function. Although the synthesis of BSMC through non-covalent interactions (hydrogen and halogen bonds) can avoid the harsh conditions required by covalent cyclization reactions, maintaining its structural stability and controllability requires that these non-covalent bonds be arranged into precise ring structures at appropriate angles, which brings new challenges to the construction of supramolecular BSMC.

       Recently, our team and collaborators reported the synthesis of two novel BSMC (1·3Br- and 1· 3Cl-) using a novel strategy to enhance the ring arrangement by multiple cationic π interactions within the molecule. In the 1·3Br- and 1· 3Cl- structures, the cation-π interaction between the imidazolium cation and the two adjacent carbazole aromatic rings effectively drives the three arms into a ring arrangement, resulting in a stable bowl-shaped structure in solution and solid state (Figure 1). In addition, the selective recognition of anions and fluorescence/phosphorescence characteristics of BSMC are further investigated and applied to information encryption and storage.

          图1 Schematic of the formation of BSMCs (1·3Br-) by the intramolecular multiple cation-π driven strategy.

        The relevant research results were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition (Angew.Chem.Int.Ed. 2024, e202402697).

        Dr. Jia He is the first author of the paper, and Professor Yang Yu from Shanghai University and Professor Wei Tian from Northwestern Polytechnical University are the corresponding authors.

           Full-text link：https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/anie.202402697。