Folding of Coordination Polymers into Double-Stranded Helical Organization

The notable feature of the Cu(II) coordination polymer investigated here is its ability to self-assemble into a double-stranded helical structure with regular grooves along the helical axis, through the combination of metal-chloride dimeric interactions and repulsive interactions, as an organizing force. It is also remarkable that the double-stranded helices self-organize into a 2-D columnar structure in both the bulk state and aqueous solution. These results represent a unique example that weak metal-ligand bridging interactions can provide a useful strategy to construct stable double-stranded helical nanotubes.