Grzegorz Markiewicz

This feature article reviews the strategies and principles underlying the construction of amino acid-derived supramolecular assemblies, covering both non-covalent and dynamic covalent approaches.

Subtle changes at the α-position of amino acid-derived BTAs profoundly affect their self-assembly. Chirality, α-substitution, and side-chain architecture govern the stability, dynamics, and fullerene-binding ability of hydrogen-bonded capsules.

The development of efficient fluorescent sensors for detecting anions is of paramount importance due to the critical roles that anions play in biological systems, environmental processes, and industrial applications. Sensitive and selective detection methods are essential for monitoring anions in complex and competitive environments. Herein, we report the synthesis and photochemical properties of a novel fluorescent sensor designed for the detection of inorganic and organic anions in competitive media. The sensor is based on a charge‐neutral europium(III) complex, formed through the coordination of Eu ³⁺ ions with a β‐diketonate ligand, resulting in a 3 : 1 complex featuring three urea functional groups positioned outside the metal coordination sphere. In solution, this complex exhibits intense reddish fluorescence ( Φ =5.2 %), which remains stable even at very low concentrations (10 ⁻⁶ m) . Photochemical studies revealed that the fluorescence of the complex is quenched upon binding to anions via unlocking of the photoinduced electron transfer (PeT), enabling its use as a quantitative and qualitative turn‐off probe for anion detection. Remarkably, the complex maintains high sensitivity and selectivity towards anions in competitive media, with association constants reaching up to 4.9×10 ⁵ m ⁻¹ . These results highlight the potential of this europium(III) complex as a highly efficient tool for detecting anionic species in challenging environments.

Incorporating photoswitchable moieties into the molecular design of supramolecular architectures provides unique opportunities for controlling their morphology and functionality via optical stimuli. Harnessing geometrical and electrical changes in response to multiple external stimuli on the molecular level to modulate properties remains a fundamental challenge. Herein, the reversible formation of the aggregates of l‐tyrosine E‐azobenzene‐tetracarboxamide (E‐ABT) is shown to be finely controlled by light, solvent, or chemical additives. The resulting products differ not only in their overall morphology and supramolecular interactions, but also in their intrinsic chirality, that is, depending on the conditions applied, self‐assembly yields chiral columns or π‐stacked “achiral” oligomers. This report shows the potential of rational monomer design to achieve controlled self‐assembly by stimuli of choice and paves the way toward the use of multi‐responsive, sterically hindered azo‐benzene aggregates in materials chemistry and nanotechnology.

A series of switchable polymeric materials based on Ag(i), Pd(ii) and Pt(ii) and ambidentate ligand has been synthesized and showed enhanced catalytic activity in Heck reaction in comparison with their mononuclear counterparts.

The self-assembly of an amino-acid substituted tetraphenylethylene (TPE) into a hydrogen-bonded dimeric capsule and an aggregate is reported. Depending on the conditions applied they exhibit bluish photoluminescence with QYs up to 24%.

Hydrogen‐bonded polymers are a class of highly dynamic supramolecular aggregates, whose self‐assembly may be tuned by very mild external or internal stimuli. However, the rational design of chiral supramolecules remains challenging especially when flexible components are involved. The combination of the inherent weakness and dynamic nature of the intermolecular bonds that hold together such assemblies with unrestricted molecular motions introduces additional factors which may affect the self‐assembly process. In this report, the self‐assembly of four amino acid‐derived chiral biphenyldiimides into open‐chain 1D supramolecular polymers is presented. While the primary driving force, COOH···HOOC hydrogen bonding, is responsible for the polymer growth in all cases, the amino acid side chains play an important role in either stabilizing or destabilizing the assemblies obtained, as deduced from studies of the thermodynamics of the self‐assembly process. Furthermore, substantial differences in the structural factors governing the polymerization process between dynamic liquid and static solid are found. This work demonstrates the potential of the rather unexplored class of diimide‐based organic dyes in the formation of well‐organized chiral supramolecular assemblies with tunable properties.

The fourth industrial revolution is especially present in manufacturing processes. However, many technological solutions used in this area can also be successfully used on other levels. One of them is the armed forces. In the article, the authors analysed a process of the soldiers functioning in...

Complexation of metal ions by a ligand bearing a azobenzene linker yielded two types of complexes: an [M₂L₂]⁴⁺ metallocycle and an [M₄L₆]⁸⁺ tetrahedral cage, which can be further converted into libraries of mononuclear [M(L′/L′′)_n]²⁺ species.

We report a Sonogashira-redox cascade employing post-assembly modification of a Co(iii) complex, followed by Co(iii) to Co(ii) redox process, in which the iPr₃CC substituent plays a “Trojan horse” role, triggering the second step of the cascade.