The marriage of endo-cavity and exo-wall complexation provides a facile strategy for supramolecular polymerization

Butylated pillar[5] arene (1) and N, N'-bis(n-butyl) pyromellitic diimide (2) form a 2 : 1 sandwich-type complex external to the walls of the receptor (exo-wall'' complex). The marriage of exo-wall interactions and endo-cavity inclusion provides a new strategy for the construction of supramolecular polymers from unfunctionalized neutral receptors.