A Crystalline Supramolecular Rotor Functioned by Dual Ultrasmall Polar Rotators†

Comprehensive Summary As an extended model of conventional molecular rotors, a conceived construction of novel crystalline molecular rotor that simultaneously contains two discrete polar rotators is presented here. The supramolecular self‐assembly of 18‐crown‐6 host and two rotator‐containing ion‐pair guests affords a three‐in‐one cocrystal, (2‐NH 3 ‐ i BuOH)(18‐crown‐6)[ZnBr 3 (H 2 O)], in which the hydroxyl group and aqua ligand both function as ultrasmall polar rotators. On the basis of the variable‐temperature single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, variable‐temperature/frequency dielectric response, density functional theory calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations, it is found that such dual polar rotators experience a gradually enhanced rotation with increasing temperature, and more importantly, could be controlled by a reversible polar‐to‐polar structural phase transition, i.e. , from a “single‐(polar rotator)” state at low‐temperature phase to a “mixed‐dual‐(polar rotator)” state in the vicinity of transition, and to an unusual “synchronized‐dual‐(polar rotator)” state at high‐temperature phase.