Redox-active, luminescent coordination nanosheet capsules containing magnetite

Two-dimensional coordination nanosheets (CONASHs) are grown at the spherical liquid–liquid interface of a dichloromethane droplet in water to form zero-dimensional nano- and micro-capsules using a simple dropping method, a syringe-pump method, and an emulsion method. Reaction of 1,3,5-tris[4-(4′-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridyl)phenyl]benzene (1) with Fe(BF 4 ) 2 affords electrochromic Fe(tpy) 2 CONASH capsules and that of ligand 1 with ZnSO 4 does photoluminescent Zn 2 (μ-O 2 SO 2 ) 2 (tpy) 2 CONASH capsules. Fe(tpy) 2 CONASH capsules containing magnetite particles were produced by the syringe-pump method by adding magnetite to the aqueous phase, with the assembly and dispersion of the magnetite-containing CONASH capsules being easily controlled with a magnet. This indicates that physicochemically functional CONASH capsules are suitable for incorporating other functional materials to develop hybrid systems.