Selective crystallization of urea-functionalized capsules with tunable anion-binding cavities

Herein we report crystallization of self-assembled capsules functionalized with urea hydrogen-bonding groups as a means for selective separation of sulfate anion. The high complementarity and the rigid environment found in such crystalline systems impart strong discrimination between anions of different shape, like sulfate and sulfite, or anions of the same shape but slightly different size, like sulfate and selenate, with selectivity that exceeds that observed in sulfate-binding protein. Similar to natural receptors, these crystalline capsules completely isolate the anions from the aqueous solvent by encapsulating them inside rigid cavities lined with complementary hydrogen-bonding groups. Furthermore, the capsules are made from flexible building blocks, whose structure and relative orientation in the crystal can be allosterically regulated to fine-tune the anion selectivity. These characteristics suggest that crystallization of such urea-functionalized capsules from simple and flexible components represents a particularly promising approach for selective anion separation from highly competitive aqueous environments.