Aqueous supramolecular assemblies of luminescent cyclometalated gold (III) amphiphiles with biocompatibility

Abstract

Gold (III) complex-based amphiphiles in aqueous media have recently been demonstrated with high structural sensitivity to external stimulations, enabling new prospect for soft functional material applications. Here we demonstrate an advanced supramolecular assembly system of gold (III) amphiphiles reversibly controlled by counterions exchange. More importantly, the luminescent properties of the gold (III) amphiphiles are enhanced by implementation of σ-donating mono-alkynyl ligand. Gold (III) amphiphiles demonstrate with good cytocompatibilities to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.