An all-in-one molecule for the one-step synthesis of functional hybrid silica particles with tunable size

Spherical particles with well-defined diameters are obtained by self-assembly of trityl-based molecules. Thanks to the robustness of the organic scaffold, a variety of modifications can be covalently introduced into the network so as to stabilize the supramolecular structure by a sol-gel route. Using supramolecular chemistry, we show that the synthesis of hybrid small molecules allows engineering nanomaterials with tunable size and functionality. The use of a combination of different characterization techniques including dynamic light scattering, cryoTEM and solid-state NMR provides a careful understanding of the relationship between molecular and supramolecular structures for further chemical engineering of supramolecular hybrid materials.