Supramolecular Functional Materials

Abstract

The field of this invention relates to supramolecular functional materials, particularly to coordination networks, more particularly to coordination polymers, more particularly to metal based one-dimensional coordination polymers. The metal based one-dimensional coordination polymers comprises a repeat unit [L 1 -M-L 2 ] n where L 1 and L 2 are one of a plurality of carboxylate ligands and L 1 can be the same as L 2 , M is a metal, particularly a transition metal, and n is an integer from 1 to infinity. The metal based one-dimensional coordination polymers display one or more physico-chemical properties giving at least one functionality to the supramolecular material. Furthermore, a method of forming the metal based one-dimensional coordination polymers is provided by a chemical reaction between said organic ligand and said metal where said method comprises at least one selectable chemical reaction condition from the group comprising: volume of reaction vessel, material composition of reaction vessel, temperature, pressure, humidity and gas defining an atmosphere inside reaction vessel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material comprising at least one polymeric repeat unit, the at least one polymeric repeat unit comprising at least one ligand and at least one metal ion, wherein said method comprises a chemical reaction between an at least one ligand and an at least one metal. 
     
     
         2 . The method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one ligand is a carboxylate ligand and the at least one metal is a transition metal. 
     
     
         3 . The method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material according to  claim 1 , wherein the chemical reaction takes place in the presence of at least one solvent. 
     
     
         4 . The method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material according to  claim 3 , wherein the method comprises at least one selectable chemical reaction condition. 
     
     
         5 . The method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one selectable chemical reaction condition is selected from the group comprising: volume of a reaction vessel, material composition of a reaction vessel, temperature, pressure, humidity and gas defining an atmosphere inside a reaction vessel. 
     
     
         6 . A supramolecular functional material of the chemical formula [Zn(C 10 H 9 O 3 ) 2 ] n  crystallised in the space group P3 1  wherein n is any integer from 1 to infinity. 
     
     
         7 . A supramolecular functional material of the chemical formula [Co(C 10 H 9 O 3 ) 2 ] n  crystallised in the space group P2 1 /c wherein n is any integer from 1 to infinity. 
     
     
         8 . A supramolecular functional material of the chemical formula [Co(C 11 H 7 O 2 ) 2 (C 3 H 7 O)] n  crystallised in the space group Pna2 1  wherein n is any integer from 1 to infinity. 
     
     
         9 . A supramolecular functional material of the chemical formula [Co(C 15 H 9 O 2 ) 4 (C 3 H 7 O) 2 ] n  crystallised in the space group P2 1  wherein n is any integer from 1 to infinity. 
     
     
         10 . The method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material according to  claim 3 , wherein the reaction takes place in the presence of a carboxylic acid. 
     
     
         11 . The method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material according to  claim 10 , wherein the chemical reaction takes place inside a hydrothermal bomb reactor. 
     
     
         12 . The method of producing at least one supramolecular functional material according to  claim 10 , wherein the chemical reaction comprises crystallisation from a heated solution containing the at least one ligand and the at least one metal.