Multicomponent Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly of Fused C3v Polygons

The accurate control of multicomponent self-assembly to fabricate a single assembly is still a challenge. Herein we describe multicomponent coordination-driven self-assembly with appropriately designed stoichiometric ratios to control the formation of fused C3v polygons. Each of the assemblies involves two donors and one acceptor molecule, combined in the proper ratios assembling to give two rhomboidal trefoils and two triangular trefoils. The structures were characterized by 1H NMR, 31P NMR, 1H–1H NOESY NMR, DOSY NMR, ESI-MS, DLS, and TEM. Both the rhomboidal trefoils and triangular trefoils exhibit flat conformations on the basis of their calculated structures.