Nanospheres from coordination polymers of Ag+ with a highly hydrophilic thiol ligand formed in situ from dynamic covalent binding and a hydrophobic thiol

We report a supramolecular nanosphere with a diameter of 8.65 nm built in an aqueous solution via dynamic binding of glucose to a thiol ligand bearing a phenylboronic acid group, 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA), as a hydrophilic component in combination with a hydrophobic thiol ligand, 1-octanethiol (n-C8H17SH), in the presence of Ag+. Highly hydrophilic glucose binding to two neighboring boronic acid groups from 4-MPBA ligands on their Ag+ coordination polymeric backbone, on which the hydrophobic n-C8H17SH ligands locate inwards, drives the coordination polymers into nanospheres. The supramolecular nanospheres are of small diameters with narrow size distribution characteristic of glucose among the tested monosaccharides including fructose and xylose.