Gao ZTian YHsu H.-KHan YYI-TSU CHANWang F.2022-04-252022-04-25202120965745https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85106231460&doi=10.31635%2fccschem.021.202000511&partnerID=40&md5=f55266f14f4e48a6c36a354b05a0a0a4https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/606851Molecular chaperones are widely employed as additives in nature to trap proteins in the kinetic state, which inspire the development of kinetically trapped artificial supramolecular systems. Till now, such additive-controlled approaches have enabled the stabilization of extended supramolecular structures in the kinetically trapped state, while discrete assemblies with sufficient kinetic persistence are scarce. In this study, a Pt(II)-based discrete supramolecular system has been constructed by taking advantage of Cu+-bridged ions as chaperone-like additives. The resulting quadruple Pt(II) stacking structure possesses high kinetic stability, which survives the column chromatography conditions. Moreover, it takes months for the kinetic-to-thermodynamic transformation to take place at ambient conditions even in dilute solutions. Intriguingly, the kinetically trapped state displays remarkably low-energy absorbance because of close π–π/Pt(II)–Pt(II) distances in the quadruple stacks, resulting in excellent photothermal conversion under red/near-infrared light irradiation, which is unattainable for the thermodynamic state under the same conditions. Therefore, the additive-controlled strategy exemplified in this study provides new avenues toward kinetically trapped assemblies with precise stacking numbers and tailored functionalities. ? 2021 CCS Chemistry. All Rights Reserved.Chaperone-like additivesKinetic trappingPhotothermal conversionPlatinum(II) complexSupramolecular assemblyjournal article10.31635/ccschem.021.2020005112-s2.0-85106231460