Controlled formation of fluorescent metalloporphyrin-containing coordination polymer particles from seed structures by designed shape-transformation reactions.

Herein, nanorod structures and four-leaf clover structures of fluorescent zinc 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (ZnTPyP)-containing coordination polymer particles (CPPs) were first synthesized by a bottom-up strategy assisted by surfactants and then employed as seed structures for further shape-transformation reactions. We have successfully designed the morphological transformation for different dimensions, achieving the controlled formation of octahedron structures at both the nanometer scale and micrometer scale from the seed structures. Our approach illustrates a new method to design and synthesize metalloporphyrin-containing CPPs in a systematic and controllable manner.