Metallophilic Interactions Drive Supramolecular Chirality Evolution and Amplify Circularly Polarized Luminescence

Metallophilic interactions,
which are ubiquitous among d10 metal complexes with linear
coordination geometries, can direct
one-dimensional assembly. However, the ability of these interactions
to manipulate chirality at the hierarchical level largely remains
unknown. In this work, we unveiled the role of Au···Cu
metallophilic interactions in directing the chirality of multicomponent
assemblies. N-heterocyclic carbene–Au(I) complexes
bearing amino acid residues formed chiral co-assemblies with [CuI2]− anions via Au···Cu interactions.
These metallophilic interactions changed the molecular packing modes
of the co-assembled nanoarchitectures from lamellar to columnar chiral
packing. This transformation initiated the emergence, inversion, and
evolution of supramolecular chirality, thereby affording helical superstructures,
depending on the geometry of building units. In addition, the Au···Cu
interactions altered the luminescence properties and induced the emergence
and amplification of circularly polarized luminescence. This work,
for the first time, revealed the role of Au···Cu metallophilic
interactions in modulating supramolecular chirality, paving the way
for the construction of functional chiroptical materials based on
d10 metal complexes.