Fluorine-Assisted Self-Assembly Approach for Tubular Architecture of Cyclic Trinuclear Rhenium(I)-Fluorothiabendazolate Complex

Three neutral trinuclear rhenium-(I)-organic complexes, fac-[{Re-(CO)(3)(L)}(3)] (1-3), were self-assembled using Re-2(CO)(10) and thiabendazole/thiazolyl naphthanoimidazole/difluorothiabendazole (H-L) via a one-pot approach. The molecular structures established by X-ray analysis revealed that 1-3 adopt an M3L3-type triangular structure which consists of alternatively arranged three fac-[Re-(CO)(3)] cores and three anionic ligand motifs. All three complexes possess uncoordinated sulfur atoms from the thiazolyl motif directed along the complex axis. Complex 3 additionally possesses six C-F bonds, four at one end and two at the rear, lateral to the complex axis which further self-organizes into 1D supramolecular tubular architecture via fluorine-assisted noncovalent C-FS contacts. The photophysical properties of 1-3 in both solution and solid states were studied using UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and further validated using time-dependent density functional theory calculations. The electrochemical properties of complexes 1-3 were studied using cyclic voltammetry. The thermal stability of the complexes was established using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry.