Multicomponent Platinum(II) Cages with Tunable Emission and Amino Acid Sensing

The syntheses, characterization, and emission properties of three tetragonal prismatic cages, 4a-4c, constructed from eight 90° Pt(II) acceptors, four linear dipyridyl ligands, and two tetraphenylethene (TPE)-based sodium benzoate ligands, are described. These cages are emissive in dilute solutions due to the metal-coordination-induced partial restriction of intramolecular rotation of their TPE units, while the dipyridyl moieties, which act as the pillars as well as the solvents, strongly influence these emissions. Specifically, cages 4a and 4b, bearing a 4,4'-dipyridine and a 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene as their pillar parts, respectively, display good emissions in common organic solvents at 485-493 nm that are derived from the TPE units. In contrast, cage 4c, with its BODIPY-based dipyridyl unit, exhibits two emission bands at 462-473 and 540-545 nm, originating from the TPE and BODIPY fluorophores, respectively. Moreover, cage 4b has been employed as a turn-on fluorescent sensor for thiol-containing amino acids via a self-destructive reaction, while the cage can also be regenerated via the addition of Pt(II) acceptors. The studies described herein not only enrich the ongoing research on fluorescent materials but also pave the way to prepare stimuli-responsive supramolecular coordination complexes.