Design and applications of multi-fluorophore metallacycles and metallacages

ABSTRACT

Integration of small organic fluorophores into supramolecular systems through coordination-driven self-assembly is gaining increasing interest in the areas of fluorescent materials, chemical sensors, and biomedical applications. Compared to systems modified with a single type of fluorophore, the introduction of two or more kinds of fluorophores can achieve multi-channel spectral changes in absorption and emission, enabling ratiometric detection and tunable light emission. Metal coordination not only allows precise control over the number and location of small organic fluorophores in supramolecular systems, but also enables integrating of small molecular fluorophores with specified light-absorbing and light-emitting properties, including single- or multi-step FRET, multi-channel ratio imaging, broader light-absorbing bands, and higher catalytic efficiency. This review focuses on constructing supramolecular assemblies through coordination-driven self-assembly with ligands modified by small organic fluorophores as core skeleton, and summaries recent progress in developing and applying these assemblies for artificial light-harvesting systems, biological applications, assembly kinetics study and cancer theranostics.

Graphical abstract

Metallacycles and metallacages integrated with multifluorophores enable unique characteristics, such as single- or multi-step FRET, multi-channel ratio imaging, broader light-absorbing bands, and higher catalytic efficiency. This review focuses on constructing metallacycles and metallacages through coordination-driven self-assembly with ligands modified by small organic fluorophores as core skeleton, and summaries recent progress in developing and applying these assemblies for artificial light-harvesting systems, biological applications, assembly kinetics study and cancer theranostics.

KEYWORDS:

• Supramolecular chemistry
• coordination-driven self-assembly
• fluorescent
• metallacycle
• metallacage

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (22107028), Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (CSTB2023NSCQ-MSX0335).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [22107028].