A Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Polyoxometalate Hybrid Shape Amphiphile: Facile Synthesis, Characterization and Crystal Structure

This study contains the synthesis and characterization of a novel shape amphiphile composed of two covalently conjugated inorganic nanoparticles, i.e. an isobutyl substituted polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (BPOSS) cage and a Lindqvist-type hexamolybdate ([Mo6O19]2-) cluster, and its crystal structure. The facile one-step coupling strategy was realized via the highly efficient palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira reaction between an alkyne-bearing POSS derivative (BPOSS-Alkyne) and an iodo-functionalized Lindqvist precursor (Lind-Iodide) in high yield. The precisely defined molecular structure was thoroughly characterized by combination of routine techniques, such as $_{\mathrm{1}}$H and $_{\mathrm{13}}$C NMR, FT-IR, and MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy. The persistent shape and chemical incompatibility of the two building blocks, as well as the rigid $p$-phenylene ethynylene linker, drive BPOSS-Lind to pack into a monoclinic lattice, which was confirmed by bright field transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). This work introduces a new dumbbell-shaped giant hybrid molecule (BPOSS-Lind) and shed light on the packing behavior of this shape amphiphile.