Experimental and theoretical studies on a novel helical architecture driven by hydrogen and halogen bonding interactions

A novel two-dimensional (2D), layered, helical supramolecular architecture constructed via cooperative hydrogen bond and halogen bonds was synthesized and characterized: [(BMBA)2(TPB)]n (1) [BMBA = 3-bromo-2-methylbenzoic acid, TPB = 1,2,3,4-tetra-(4-pyridyl)-butane]. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to investigate the nature of intermolecular interactions between BMBA and TPB. The cooperation between hydrogen bond and halogen bond in building up the open organic architecture was demonstrated elaborately. Complex 1 exhibits strong photoluminescence and high thermal stability. The nature of electronic transitions in the photoluminescent process was investigated by means of time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations and molecular orbital analyses, revealing that the luminescent property of the helical supramolecular architecture of 1 was ligand-based. Periodic DFT calculations show that 1 is an electrical insulator with a band gap of 3.29 eV.