Biomimetic Self-Assembly of Co^II-Seamed Hexameric Metal-Organic Nanocapsules.

A CoL hexameric metal-organic nanocapsule (MONC) has been prepared and characterized using biomimetic self-assembly as the synthetic methodology. Akin to the biological behavior of zinc-finger proteins' release, uptake, and electrophilic substitution of Zn ions, the assembly of this novel MONC has been accomplished by employing three sequential processes: assembly of the framework, metal ion insertion, and metal exchange, resulting in the formation of the CoL hexameric MONC. In this work, inspired by the biological behavior of metalloproteins, rational control of multiple complex supramolecular self-assembly has been achieved.