Vapor‐Induced Assembly of a Platinum(II) Complex Loaded on Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoparticles

Controlled self‐assembly of Pt(II) complexes is key to the development of optical and stimuli‐responsive materials, but designing and precisely controlling them is still difficult owing to weak intermolecular interactions. Herein, we report the successful water‐vapor‐induced assembly of an anionic Pt(II) complex [Pt(CN)2(ppy)]– (Hppy = 2‐phenylpyridine) electrostatically loaded on cationically charged layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles consisting of Mg2+ and Al3+ ions. When the Pt(II) complexes were densely loaded onto the LDH nanoparticles, the assembly was maintained, even in dilute aqueous media. In the case of sparse loading, the Pt(II) complexes were loaded discretely in the dry state; however, when water vapor was adsorbed, the increased mobility of the Pt(II) complexes led to their assembly on the LDH nanoparticles. This resulted in a drastic change in luminescence from green to orange owing to the presence of water vapor.