Real-Time Monitoring Supramolecular Disassembly by Nanoconfinement Engineering-Tuned Electrochemiluminescence

Understanding the disassembly process is significant for constructing well-defined and multifunctional supramolecular structures. Nowadays, fluorescent microscopy is used as a common technique to observe a real-time disassembly process. However, the addition of the fluorescent probes into nonfluorescent systems might influence the disassembly due to the weak supramolecular interactions. Therefore, it is urgent to explore a novel strategy to monitor supramolecular disassembly in the absence of fluorophores. In this work, we developed a simple and rapid strategy to understand the supramolecular disassembly process based on confined microenvironment-regulated electrochemiluminescence (ECL). It is disclosed that the addition of competitive guests could disassemble the supramolecular architectures and destroy the confined spaces, decreasing the ECL intensity as a result of the reduction of the chemical transformation efficiency of the coreactant. This developed nanoconfinement-tuned ECL strategy offers a simple method to monitor supramolecular disassembly in real time without the addition of any fluorescent dye. It is anticipated that the proposed strategy could be beneficial for a deep understanding of supramolecular disassembly, promoting the design and preparation of new-generation supramolecular assemblies with advanced functions.