School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, The University of Western Australia
○Mohamed Makha Colin L Raston Christopher Smith Alex Sobolev

Advances in nanoscale science and engineering suggest that many of the current problems involving molecular separation, sensing, heterogeneous catalysis could be resolved or greatly ameliorated using nanoporosity in self assembled molecular framework. The paper will present recent work on the use of macrocylic calixarenes sulfonates as molecular platform in conjunction with metal and organic ions of various spatial geometries to construct molecular assemblies of nano dimensions. The assembly process is governed by supramolecular interactions affording new materials such as ionic capsules, molecular solids with extended networks and micellar aggregates. The majority of work in the area is focused on p-sulfoanto-calix[4]arene and more recently larger p-sulfonato-calix[6,8]arenes can also be encouraged to form ionic capsules with phosphonium cations yielding networks of 2D porosity.¹ We also have established the formation of helical structures by the self assembly of p-sulfoanto-calix[4]arene and Co(III) sepulchrate cation leading to materials with well defined porosity.²
1. M. Makha et al. Chem. Commun., 2006, 5, 511-513; 2. M. Makha et al. Chem. Commun., 2006, 9, 950-952.