LAUSR

Manipulating particle size is a powerful mean of creating unprecedented applications both in inorganic and organic materials. Coordination polymer, emerging as one sort of organic-inorganic hybrid materials, has attracted thriving interests in a variety of applications, but nanoscale coordination polymer has scarcely been touched. In this work, pure-phase coordination polymer [Cu6(1,4-bis(imidazol-1-yl)butane)3I6]∞ with different sizes as well as morphologies was synthesized through facile top-down route assisted with solvent-etching for the first time. The size and morphology could be adjusted just via varying the participated etching solvents. Our mechanistic investigation suggest that the bulk coordination polymer as precursor in the etching solvents may experience a process of dispersion, dissolvation, recrystalization to generate the nanoscale counterpart. Higher catalytic activity of nanoscale coordination polymer was observed in N-arylation of imidazole aryl halide, and was attributed to higher surface area and lower coordination number of unsaturated coordination sites (CUSs). This simple and rapid preparation, requiring neither specialized equipment nor harsh conditions, suggests a wealth of potential for reducing down the size of coordination polymer to comply with various practical applications.