posted on 2017-01-01, 00:00authored byG Lamming, O El-Zubir, C McGurk, P Waddell, M Probert, A Houlton
A series of new 2D coordination framework materials, based on Ag(I)-N bond formation, has been synthesised and structurally characterised by single crystal methods. Reactions between the poly-monodentate bridging ligand N,N'-((1r,4r)-cyclohexane-1,4-diyl)bis(1-(pyridin-3-yl)methanimine), L1, and silver salts yield compounds {[Ag(L1)(MeCN)](CF3SO3-)}n, 1, {[Ag(L1)(PF2O2-)]•H2O}n, 2 and {Ag2(L1)(Tosylate)2}n, 3. The frameworks of these materials exhibit two distinct net topologies, 36.46.53 (1 and 2) and 44.62 (3). In all cases, L1 ligands are found to be fully saturated in terms of metal-ion binding with both sets of pyridyl and imino N-atoms involved. Though in 1 and 2, crystallographically independent L1 moieties also display pyridyl-only binding. Either the anion (2 and 3), or solvent (1), act as terminal ligands to support inter-layer interactions in the solid-state. Despite the relatively labile nature of typical Ag(I)-N bonds, solvent-based exfoliation of crystals of 3 was shown to provide dispersions of large, µm2, flakes which readily deposit on oxide surfaces as single-molecule sheets, as revealed by AFM.