Simple and Versatile Preparation of Luminescent Amphiphilic Platinum(II)-containing Polystyrene Complexes With Transformable Nanostructures Assisted by Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt and π-π Interactions.

Platinum(II)-containing polystyrene (PS) complexes have been synthesized by dehydrohalogenation of α-alkyne-PS and chloroplatinum(II) precursors with different functionalities on the terpyridine ligands. Through modulation of the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the terpyridine ligands and hence the overall amphiphilicity of the complexes, the complexes can undergo self-assembly into various superstructures with remarkable luminescence properties in different solution mixtures, as revealed by electron microscopy, UV/Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy. Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt and/or π-π interactions among the platinum(II) terpyridine moieties are found to play substantial roles in the stabilization of the superstructures and the turn-on/off of the triplet metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3 MMLCT) emission of the complexes.