Supramolecular Interactions Modulating Electrical Conductivity and Nanoprocessing of Copper-Iodine Double-Chain Coordination Polymers.

Two coordination polymers (CPs), based on Cu(I)-I double zig-zag chains bearing isonicotinic acid or 3-chloroisonicotinic acid as terminal ligands with molecular recognition capabilities, have been synthesized and fully characterized. Both compounds present extended networks with supramolecular interactions directed by the formation of H-bonds between the complementary carboxylic groups, giving supramolecular sheets. The chloro substituent allows establishing additional Cl···Cl supramolecular interactions that reinforce the stability of the supramolecular sheets. These CPs are semiconductor materials; however, the presence of chlorine produces slight changes in the I-Cu-I chains, generating a worse overlap in the Cu-I orbitals, thus determining a decrease in its electrical conductivity value. These experimental results have also been corroborated by theoretical calculations using the study of the morphology of the density of states and 3D orbital isodensities, which determine that conductivity is mostly produced through the Cu-I skeleton and is less efficient in the case of the chloro derivative compound. A fast and efficient bottom-up approach based on the self-assembly of the initial building blocks and the low solutibility of these CPs has proved very useful for the production of nanostructures.