Intermolecular interactions in solution play an important role in molecular recognition, which lies at the heart of supramolecular and combinatorial chemistry. Diffusion NMR spectroscopy gives information over such interactions and has become the method of choice for simultaneously measuring diffusion coefficients of multicomponent systems. The diffusion coefficient reflects the effective size and shape of a molecular species. Applications of this technique include the estimation of association constants and mapping the intermolecular interactions in multicomponent systems as well as investigating aggregation, ion pairing, encapsulation, and the size and structure of labile systems. Diffusion NMR spectroscopy can also be used to virtually separate mixtures and screen for specific ligands of different receptors, and may assist in finding lead compounds.

Active control over the shape, composition, and crystalline habit of nanocrystals has long been a goal. Various methods have been shown to enable postsynthesis modification of nanoparticles, including the use of the Kirkendall effect, galvanic replacement, and cation or anion exchange, all taking advantage of enhanced solid-state diffusion on the nanoscale. In all these processes, however, alteration of the nanoparticles requires introduction of new precursor materials. Here we show that for cesium lead halide perovskite nanoparticles, a reversible structural and compositional change can be induced at room temperature solely by modification of the ligand shell composition in solution. The reversible transformation of cubic CsPbX3 nanocrystals to rhombohedral Cs4PbX6 nanocrystals is achieved by controlling the ratio of oleylamine to oleic acid capping molecules. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy investigation of Cs4PbX6 reveals the growth habit of the rhombohedral crystal structure is composed of a zero-dimensional layered network of isolated PbX6 octahedra separated by Cs cation planes. The reversible transformation between the two phases involves an exfoliation and recrystalliztion process. This scheme enables fabrication of high-purity monodispersed Cs4PbX6 nanoparticles with controlled sizes. Also, depending on the final size of the Cs4PbX6 nanoparticles as tuned by the reaction time, the back reaction yields CsPbX3 nanoplatelets with a controlled thickness. In addition, detailed surface analysis provides insight into the impact of the ligand composition on surface stabilization that, consecutively, acts as the driving force in phase and shape transformations in cesium lead halide perovskites.

In the last decade diffusion NMR and diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) have become important analytical tools for the characterization of supramolecular systems in solution. Diffusion NMR can be used to glean information on the (effective) size and shape of molecular species, as well as to probe inter-molecular interactions and can be used to estimate the association constant (Ka) of a complex. In addition, the diffusion coefficient, as obtained from diffusion NMR, is a much more intuitive parameter than the chemical shift for probing self-association, aggregation and inter-molecular interactions. The diffusion coefficient may be an even more important analytical parameter in systems in which the formed supramolecular entity has the same symmetry as its building units, when there is a large change in the molecular weight, where many molecular species are involved in the formation of the supramolecular systems, and when proton transfer may occur which, in turn, may affect the chemical shift. Some of the self-assembled molecular capsules and cages prepared in the last decade represent such supramolecular systems and in the present review, following a short introduction on diffusion NMR, we survey the contribution of diffusion NMR and DOSY in the field of molecular containers and capsules. We will first focus on the role played by diffusion NMR in the field of hydrogen bond driven self-assembled capsules. We then survey the contributions of diffusion NMR and DOSY to the study and characterization of metal-ligand cages and capsules. Finally, we describe a few recent applications of diffusion NMR in the field of hydrophobic, electrostatic and covalent containers.

NMR diffusion measurements provide unequivocal proof that the resorcinarene 1b self-assembles spontaneously into a stable hexamer capsule in chloroform solution by encapsulating several chloroform molecules, which occupy different chemical positions. Although the affinity of tetrahexylammonium bromide (2a) toward the cavity of the hexamer is much higher than that of the chloroform molecules, it was found that the same amount of DMSO is needed to disrupt the two hexamers, thus suggesting similar stabilities for these two supramolecular capsules.