Construction and heterogeneous photooxidization reactivity of a cyclodextrin/porphyrin polyrotaxane network

A cyclodextrin/porphyrin supramolecular polyrotaxane network was successfully constructed by a Schiff base polycondensation reaction of a β-cyclodextrin/p-phthaldehyde inclusion complex with optically active porphyrin and comprehensively characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the solid state. Interestingly, the resultant polyrotaxane network with an ordered rectangular morphology could not only emit the satisfactory solid state fluorescence but also be used as a heterogeneous catalyst for oxidizing dimethylanthracene under light irradiation. Significantly, 99% dimethylanthracene could be oxidized after being irradiated at 500 nm for 4 h. This approach of preparing the supramolecular polyrotaxane network would provide an efficient access to prepare photoactive functional materials.