Formation of Discrete Ladders and a Macroporous Xerogel Film by the Zipperlike Dimerization of Meso-Meso-Linked Zinc(II) Porphyrin Arrays with Di(pyrid-3-yl)acetylene.

Metal porphyrins assemble to form a supramolecular architecture with a characteristic structure and characteristic properties and functions upon complexation with appropriate ligands. However, there are few applications of these assembly processes to the construction of polymeric porphyrin arrays with useful functionalities. In this study, we found that meso-meso-linked Zn(II) porphyrin arrays underwent zipperlike dimerization upon complexation with di(pyrid-3-yl)acetylene (DPA) in chloroform to form discrete double-stranded porphyrin ladders. Similarly, the assembly of poly(zinc(II) porphyrinylene) with DPA gave a thermoresponsive gel, whose three-dimensional network structure was so strong that a macroporous xerogel film was obtained.