AbstractChirality, with its intrinsic symmetry‐breaking feature, is frequently utilized in the creation of acentric crystalline functional materials that exhibit intriguing optoelectronic properties. On the other hand, the development of chiral crystals from achiral molecules offers a solution that bypasses the need for enantiopure motifs, presenting a promising alternative and thereby expanding the possibilities of the self‐assembly toolkit. Nevertheless, the rational design of achiral molecules that prefer spontaneous symmetry breaking during crystallization has so far been obscure. In this study, we present a series of six achiral molecules, demonstrating that when these conformationally flexible molecules adopt a cis‐conformation and engage in multiple non‐covalent interactions along a helical path, they collectively self‐assemble into chiral superstructures consisting of single‐handed supramolecular columns. When these homochiral supramolecular columns align in parallel, they form polar crystals that exhibit intense luminescence upon grinding or scraping. We therefore demonstrate our molecular design strategy could significantly increase the likelihood of symmetry breaking in achiral molecular synthons during self‐assembly, offering a facile access to novel chiral crystalline materials with unique optoelectronic properties.
摘要 手性具有打破固有对称性的特点,经常被用于制造显示出迷人光电特性的偏心晶体功能材料。另一方面,利用非手性分子开发手性晶体提供了一种解决方案,绕过了对映纯图案的需要,提供了一种有前途的替代方法,从而扩大了自组装工具包的可能性。然而,迄今为止,合理设计结晶过程中自发对称性破坏的非手性分子的方法还很模糊。在本研究中,我们展示了一系列六种非手性分子,证明当这些构象灵活的分子采用顺式构象并沿着螺旋路径进行多种非共价相互作用时,它们会共同自组装成由单手超分子柱组成的手性超结构。当这些同手性超分子柱平行排列时,它们会形成极性晶体,在研磨或刮擦时会发出强烈的荧光。因此,我们证明了我们的分子设计策略可以大大提高非手性分子合成物在自组装过程中对称性破坏的可能性,从而为获得具有独特光电特性的新型手性晶体材料提供了便捷的途径。