Confined Oxidative Polymerization of Preorganized Aniline Within Cyclodextrin-Based Bimolecular Tube Nanochannels for the Synthesis of Bispolypseudorotaxanes
Min Deng, Xuze Hu, Yibing Liu, Yuqiang Cheng, Donghua Lai, Lu Huang, Xinli Mou, Junsheng Qi, Changjun ZouThe well-defined nanoconfined spaces of cyclodextrin-based bimolecular tubes (CBBTs) make them excellent nanocontainers for directing molecular assembly and polymerization. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel CBBT with two regular nanochannels. Employed to pre-assemble aniline monomers via host–guest interactions, the CBBT further drove the oxidative polymerization of aniline, thereby forming a polyaniline (PANI)/CBBT bispolypseudorotaxane with specific chain lengths. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared PANI-based bispolypseudorotaxane were characterized using spectroscopic and electron microscopic techniques. The structural features and the host–guest interactions involved were further investigated, demonstrating the potential of this CBBT system as a nanoconfined reaction platform for constructing structurally ordered conjugated polymer materials.