Boosting the Superoxide Anion Radical Generation of Triphenylamine- and Benzothiadiazole-based Supramolecular Organic Framework for Improving Photocatalytic Performance

The construction of three-component supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs) remains a challenge in this field due to the complex noncovalent interactions involved and the limitations of existing preparation methods. In this study, we designed and synthesized two photosensitive modules, with naphthalene-modified triphenylamine derivative (NA-TPA) as the donor unit and methylated-viologen-modified benzothiadiazole derivative (DPBT) as the acceptor unit, which can self-assemble into a two-dimensional supramolecular organic framework (SOF) through encapsulation-enhanced donor–acceptor interaction with cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) in water. The donor–acceptor SOF can not only self-assemble into two-dimensional nanosheet morphology in water but also exhibit excellent luminescence enhancement performance. Compared with monomers NA-TPA and DPBT, the SOF can also effectively promote electron transfer and greatly improve the ability to produce superoxide anion radicals (O2•–), which can be effectively used to photocatalyze thiol–ene cross-coupling reaction in water with a yield of up to 90%. This work provides useful exploration for the construction of three-component SOFs through encapsulation-enhanced donor–acceptor interactions for photocatalytic application.