Phys.org October 3, 2024
A team of researchers in the US (Cornell University, Rice University, University of Chicago, Columbia University) assembled a new supramolecular porous crystal from fused macrocycle-cage molecules. The molecule comprised a prismatic cage with three macrocycles radially attached. The molecules formed a nanoporous crystal with one-dimensional nanochannels. The supramolecular porous crystal can take up lithium-ion electrolytes and achieve an ionic conductivity of up to 8.3 × 10–4 S/cm. Structural analysis and density functional theory calculations revealed that efficient Li-ion electrolyte uptake, the presence of 1D nanochannels, and weak interactions between lithium ions and the crystal enabled fast lithium-ion transport. According to the researchers their findings demonstrate the potential of fused macrocycle-cage molecules as a new design motif for ion-conducting molecular crystals… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 37, 25433–25438