Fusion of two homoleptic truncated tetrahedra into a heteroleptic truncated octahedron

The exploration of novel structures and structural transformation of supramolecular assemblies is of vital importance for their functions and applications. Herein, based on coordination-driven self-assembly, we prepare a neutral truncated tetrahedron and a heteroleptic truncated octahedron, whose structures are unambiguously confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. More importantly, the truncated tetrahedron is quantitatively transformed into the truncated octahedron through its fusion with another cationic truncated tetrahedron, as evidenced by fluorescence, mass and NMR spectroscopy. This study not only deepens our understanding of the process of supramolecular fusion but also opens up possibilities for the subsequent preparation of advanced supramolecular assemblies with complex structures and integrated functions.