Construction and Hierarchical Self-Assembly of a Supramolecular Metal-Carbene Complex with Multifunctional Units

Hierarchical combinations involving metal-ligand interactions and host-guest interactions can consolidate building blocks with unique functions into material properties. This study reports the construction and hierarchical self-assembly of multifunctional trinuclear Au^I tricarbene complex containing three crown ether units and three ferrocene units. Host-guest interactions between the multifunctional trinuclear Au^I tricarbene complex and organic ammonium salts were investigated, revealing that crown ether-based host-guest interactions can effectively regulate the electrochemical properties of the complex. Utilizing bisammonium salt as the cross-linker and multifunctional trinuclear Au^I tricarbene complex as the core, a stimuli-responsive and self-healing supramolecular gel with different functional units was obtained.