Metal-directed one-dimensional chiral zigzag chains and right-handed 61 helix with multiple chiral components: luminescence and NLO properties

A chiral zigzag chain with two chiral components and a 61 right-handed helical chain with three chiral components have been synthesized by using a flexible multidentate organic bridging ligand and changing the size of the central metal ion. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra and second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency measurements of these two compounds confirmed that they are of structural chirality in the bulk samples. The luminescence properties of the materials indicated that they may have potential applications as optical materials. The present study provides an effective method for preparing chiral coordination polymers with multiple chiral components and demonstrates that the ionic radius of a metal ion is a crucial factor for the construction of coordination polymers.