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Picture of a 3D printed cage crystal structure. © CleverLab​/​TU Dort­mund

Research Highlights

Picture showing multi-functional cages

"Increasing Structural and Functional Complexity in Self-Assembled Coordination Cages"
S. Pullen, J. Tessarolo, G. H. Clever, Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, accepted.

Picture of a heteroleptic tetrahedron

"Integrative Assembly of Heteroleptic Tetrahedra Con­trolled by Backbone Steric Bulk"
J. Tessarolo, H. Lee, E. Sakuda, K. Umakoshi, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, accepted.

Animated picture of a encapsulated guest molecule leaving a cage

"Thermodynamic Driving Forces of Guest Confinement in a Photoswitchable Cage"
S. Juber, S. Wingbermühle, P. Nuernberger, G. H. Clever, L. V. Schä­fer, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2021, accepted. DOI: 10.1039/D0CP06495E

Silver-bridged sandwich complex with platinum units.

"Multinuclear Ag Clusters Sandwiched by Pt Complex Units: Fluxional Behavior and Chiral-at-Cluster Photoluminescence"
S. Horiuchi, S. Moon, A. Ito, J. Tessarolo, E. Sakuda, Y. Arikawa, G. H. Clever, K. Umakoshi, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, accepted, DOI: 10.1002/anie.202101460.

A metalloDNAzyme catalyzed reaction

"Modular Design of G-Qua­dru­plex MetalloDNAzymes for Catalytic C-C Bond Formations with Switchable Enantioselectivity"
P. M. Punt, M. D. Langenberg, O. Altan, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, accepted.

Quinoline-based cages with photoswitchable ligands

"Multi-Stimuli Control over Assembly and Guest Binding in Metallo- Supramolecular Hosts based on DTE Photoswitches"
R. Li, J. Tessarolo, H. Lee, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, accepted.

picture of a heteroleptic Pd6L6L'6 cage

"Identification of a Heteroleptic Pd6L6L’6 Coordination Cage by Screening of a Virtual Combinatorial Library"
S. Sudan, R. Li, S. Jansze, A. Platzek, R. Rudolf, G.  H. Clever, F. Fadaei Tirani, R. Scopelliti, K. Severin, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 1773.

(in collaboration with Prof. Kay Severin from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL)

Palladium cage based on Michler´s ketone, methylene blue, rhodamine B and crystal violet.

"Coal-Tar Dye-based Coordination Cages and Helicates"
I. Regeni, B. Chen, M. Frank, A. Baksi, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 5673.

(Highlighted in a press release by the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV)

See video feature on TU Dort­mund Youtube Channel

Heteroleptic cages with backbone-bridged ligands

"Backbone-Bridging Promotes Diversity in Heteroleptic Cages"

K. Wu, B. Zhang, C. Drechsler, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, accepted, DOI: 10.1002/anie.202012425

"Precise Distance Measurements in DNA G‐Qua­dru­plex Dimers and Sandwich Complexes by Pulsed Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy"

L. M. Stratmann, Y. Kutin, M. Kasan­mascheff, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 4939.

(VIP Paper)

Highlighted in a press release of TU Dort­mund, the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV, the ChemViews Magazine and by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

(In collaboration with JProf. Dr. Müge Kasan­mascheff)

"A New Mechanically-Interlocked [Pd2L4] Cage Motif by Dimerization of two Peptide-based Lemniscates"

T. R. Schulte, J. J. Holstein, L. Schneider, A. Adam, G. Haberhauer, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 22489.

(Hot Paper, Inside Cover)

(In collaboration with Prof. Gebhard Haberhauer from Duisburg-Essen Uni­ver­sity)

Schematic representation of an arcridone-based interpenetrated double cage, that acts as a photosensitizer for singlet oxygen which reacts in a Diels-Alder reaction.

"Substrate and Product Binding inside a Stimuli-Responsive Coordination Cage acting as Singlet Oxygen Photosensitizer"

S. Pullen, S. Löffler, A. Platzek, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Dalton Trans. 2020, 49, 9404.

Schematic representation of a ligand-modified oligonucleotide, that folds into a G-quadruplex structure giving rise to a heteroleptic chelate environment suitable for transition metal binding.

"Heteroleptic Coordination Environments in Metal-Mediated DNA G-Quadruplexes"

P. M. Punt, L. M. Stratmann, S. Sevim, L. Knauer, C. Strohmann, G. H. Clever, Front. Chem. 2020, 8, 26.

Structure of a new heterobimetallic coordination cage as determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

"Dynamic Complex-to-Complex Transformations of Heterobimetallic Systems Influence the Cage Structure or Spin State of Iron(II) Ions"

M. Hardy, N. Struch, J. J. Holstein, G. Schnakenburg, N. Wagner, M. Engeser, J. Beck, G. H. Clever, A. Lützen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 3195.

Schematic representation of the effect of steric hindrance around the coordination environment in bis-monodentate ligands leading to different coordination products acting as host structures for fullerene binding.

"Tunable Fullerene Affinity of Cages, Bowls and Rings Assembled by Pd(II) Coordination Sphere Engineering"

B. Chen, S. Horiuchi, J. J. Holstein, J. Tessarolo, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2019, 25, 14921.

Schematic representation of an imidazole-modified oligonucleotide, that folds into G-quadruplex structures with tailored ligand environments suitable for binding of copper or zinc ions.

"Tailored Transition Metal Coordination Environments in Imidazole-modified DNA G-Quadruplexes"

P. M. Punt, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2019, 25, 13987.

Trapped ion mobility-derived mobilograms of a complex mixture of heteroleptic coordination cages shows clear differentiation of different species.

"Resolution of Minor Size Differences in a Family of Heteroleptic Coordination Cages by Trapped Ion Mobility ESI-MS"

K. E. Ebbert, L. Schneider, A. Platzek, C. Drechsler, B. Chen, R. Rudolf, G. H. Clever, Dalton Trans. 2019, 48, 11070.

Schematic representation of a bowl-shaped coordination compound that binds fullerene and acts as a supramolecular protecting group to control functionalization.

"Pd(II) Coordination Sphere Engineering: Pyridine Cages, Quinoline Bowls and Heteroleptic Pills Binding One or Two Fullerenes"

B. Chen, J. J. Holstein, S. Horiuchi, W. G. Hiller, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 8907.

Schematic representation of successive photoswitching in photochromic DTE-based coordination cages.

"Successive Photoswitching and Derivatization Effects in Photochromic DTE-based Coordination Cages"

R. Li, M. Han, J. Tessarolo, J. J. Holstein, J. Lübben, B. Dittrich, C. Volkmann, M. Finze, C. Jenne, G. H. Clever, ChemPhotoChem 2019, 3, 378.

Schematic representation of a chiral helicene-based bis-monodentate ligand that assembles upon palladium addition into an interpenetrated coordination cage.

"Chiral Self-Discrimination and Guest Recognition in Helicene-based Coordination Cages"

T. R. Schulte, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 5562.

Schematic representation, X-ray structures and CD spectra of a photochromic coordination cage interacting with a chiral guest.

"Mechanistic Interplay between Light-Switching and Guest-Binding in Photochromic [Pd2Dithienylethene4] Coordination Cages"

R. Li, J. J. Holstein, W. G. Hiller, J. Andréasson, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 2097.

Schematic representation and molecular dynamics-derived structures of an imidazole-modified G-quadruplex that acts as metal-triggered peroxidase.

"Imidazole-modified G-quadruplex DNA as Metal-triggered Peroxidase"

P. M. Punt, G. H. Clever, Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 2513.

Schematic representation of the assembly of an amphiphilic coordination cage-based emulsifier and cryo-TEM images of hollow spherical vesicles formed in acetonitril.

"Rational Design of an Amphiphilic Coordination Cage-based Emulsifier"

S. Saha, B. Holzapfel, Y.-T. Chen, K. Terlinden, P. Lill, C. Gatsogiannis, H. Rehage, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 17384.

Schematic representation of multifunctional metal-organic frameworks and heteroleptic coordination cages.

"Mixed-Ligand Metal-Organic Frameworks and Heteroleptic Coordination Cages as Multifunctional Scaffolds – A Comparison"

S. Pullen, G. H. Clever, Acc. Chem. Res. 2018, 51, 3052.

Simplified illustration of structure determination using electron diffraction and a molecular structure determined with this method.

"Rapid structure determination of microcrystalline molecular compounds using electron diffraction"

T. Gruene, J. T. C. Wennmacher, C. Zaubitzer, J. J. Holstein, J. Heidler, A. Fecteau-Lefebvre, S. De Carlo, E. Müller, K. N. Goldie, I. Regeni, T. Li, G. Santiso-Quinones, G. Steinfeld, S. Handschin, E. van Genderen, J. A. van Bokhoven, G. H. Clever, R. Pantelic, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 16313.

(Collaboration initiated by Dr. Tim Grüne, Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland, and Dr. Julian Holstein, head of crystallography in the Clever Lab)

“Electron diffraction was selected by Science Magazine as one out of twelve candidates worldwide for the re­search 2018 Breakthrough of the Year, and made the fifth rank in a public vote.”

Highlighted in c&en, phys.org, ScienceNews, Nature, Angew. Chem. and Nature Chem.

X-ray structure and schematic representation of a metallosupramolecular aggregate with a cage-in-ring structural motif.

"A Rotaxane-like Cage-in-Ring Structural Motif for a Metallosupramolecular Pd6L12 Aggregate"

M. Käseborn, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, A. Lützen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 12171.

(Collaboration initiated by the Lützen group, Bonn Uni­ver­sity)

Schematic representation of a rational design of heteroleptic coordination cages based on donor-site-engineering.

"Donor-site-directed Rational Assembly of Heteroleptic cis-[Pd2L2L'2] Coordination Cages from Picolyl Ligands"

R. Zhu, W. M. Bloch, J. J. Holstein, S. Mandal, L. V. Schä­fer, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 12976.

(Hot Paper)

Schematic representation of different coordination structures formed from palladium ions and bis-monodentate ligands.

"Structure Relationships between Bis-monodentate Ligands and Coordination Driven Self-assemblies"

S. Saha, I. Regeni, G. H. Clever, Coord. Chem. Rev. 2018, 374, 1.

Schematic representation of the formation of a multi-cavity coordination cage and its aggregation into mono-layered discs.

"Catenation and Aggregation of Multi-Cavity Coordination Cages"

R. Zhu, I. Regeni, J. J. Holstein, B. Dittrich, M. Simon, S. Prévost, M. Gradzielski, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 13652.

(VIP Paper, Front Cover)

Highlighted by Dr. Emiliano Feresin on the website of the RESOLV cluster of excellence.

Highlighted in the trend report 2019 on inorganic chem­is­try, published in the „Nach­richten aus der Chemie“, magazine of the German Chemical Society (GDCh).

Schematic representation of the copper-copper distance in di-copper DNA G-quadruplexes of different size.

"Di-Copper(II) DNA G-Quadruplexes as EPR Distance Rulers"

D. M. Engelhard, A. Meyer, A. Berndhäuser, O. Schiemann, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 7455.

X-ray structure and TEM image of an interlocked M8L16 container.

"Hierarchical Assembly of an Interlocked M8L16 Container"

W. M. Bloch, J. J. Holstein, B. Dittrich, W. Hiller, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 5534.

"Structure-Property Relationships in CuII-binding Tetramolecular G-Qua­dru­plex DNA"

D. M. Engelhard, L. M. Stratmann, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 2117.

(Hot Paper, Cover Feature)

"Influence of Size, Shape, Heteroatom Content and Dispersive Contributions on Guest Binding in a Coordination Cage"

S. Löffler, A. Wuttke, B. Zhang, J. J. Holstein, R. A. Mata, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2017, 53, 11933.

"Cation-Anion Arrangement Patterns in Self-Assembled Pd2L4 and Pd4L8 Coordination Cages"

G. H. Clever, P. Punt, Acc. Chem. Res. 2017, 50, 2233.

"Temperature-dependent Dynamics of Push-Pull Rotor Systems based on Acridinylidene Cyanoacetic Esters"

M. Krick, J. J. Holstein, A. Wuttke, R. A. Mata, G. H. Clever, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2017, 5141.

"Copper-induced Topology Switching and Thrombin Inhibition with Telomeric DNA G-Quadruplexes"

D. M. Engelhard, J. Nowack, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 11640.

"Integrative self-sorting of coordination cages based on 'naked' metal ions "

W. M. Bloch, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2017, 53, 8506.

"Chiral-at-Metal Phosphorescent Square-Planar Pt(II)-Complexes from an Achiral Organometallic Ligand"

T. R. Schulte, J. J. Holstein, L. Krause, R. Michel, D. Stalke, E. Sakuda, K. Umakoshi, G. Longhi, S. Abbate, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 6863.

"Morphological Control of Heteroleptic cis- and trans-Pd2L2L'2 Cages"

W. M. Bloch, J. J. Holstein, W. Hiller, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 8285.

"Geometric Complementarity in Assembly and Guest Recognition of a Bent Heteroleptic cis-[Pd2LA2LB2] Coordination Cage"

W. M. Bloch, Y. Abe, J. J. Holstein, C. M. Wandtke, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 13750.

"Endohedral Dynamics of Push-Pull Rotor-functionalized Cages"

M. Krick, J. J. Holstein, C. Würtele, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 10411.

"Desymmetrization of an Octahedral Coordination Complex inside a Self-Assembled Exoskeleton"

M. D. Johnstone; E. K. Schwarze; J. Ahrens; D. Schwarzer; J. J. Holstein; B. Dittrich; F. M. Pfeffer; G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 10791.

"Light-induced Charge Separation in Densely Packed Donor-Acceptor Coordination Cages"

M. Frank, J. Ahrens, I. Bejenke, M. Krick, D. Schwarzer, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 8279.

Congratulations to Jennifer Ahrens (PhD student of collaboration partner Prof. Dirk Schwarzer, MPI for Biophysical Chem­is­try, Göttingen) for receiving a Poster Prize on the Bunsentagung 2016 for her contribution to our joint work. In addition, our work was featured on the cover of issue 5/2016 of the Bunsen Magazin.

"Interpenetrated Cage Structures"

M. Frank, M. D. Johnstone, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 14104.

(Review, Hot Paper)

"Internal Dynamics and Guest Binding of a Sterically Overcrowded Host"

S. Löffler, J. Lübben, A. Wuttke, R. A. Mata, M. John, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, Chem. Sci. 2016, 7, 4676.

"Light-con­trolled Interconversion between a Self-assembled Triangle and a Rhombicuboctahedral Sphere"

M. Han, Y. Luo, B. Damaschke, L. Go´mez, X. Ribas, A. Jose, P. Peretzki, M. Seibt, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 445. (VIP Paper, Inside Cover)

"Triggered Exchange of Anionic for Neutral Guests inside a Cationic Coordination Cage"

S. Löffler, J. Lübben, L. Krause, D. Stalke, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 1060.

Congratulations to Susanne Löffler for receiving a "MS-CEC Young Researcher Award 2016" for this paper from the Münster Symposium on Cooperative Effects in Chem­is­try!

"Modular synthesis of linear bis- and trismonodentate fused [6]polynorbornane-based ligands and their assembly into coordination cages"

M. D. Johnstone, E. K. Schwarze, G. H. Clever and F. M. Pfeffer, Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 3948.

(Hot Paper, Inside Cover).

"Stepwise Halide-triggered Double- and Triple-Catenation of Self-Assembled Coordination Cages"

R. Zhu, J. Lübben, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 2796.

"Rational Design of a Face-Centred Square-Cuboid Coordination Cage"

M. Han, R. Michel, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2014, 20, 10640.

(Special Issue: European Young Chemists).

"Self-Assembled Coordination Cages based on Banana-shaped Ligands"

M. Han, D. M. Engelhard, G. H. Clever, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2014, 43, 1848.

(Open Access article).

"Reversible Stabilization of Transition-Metal-Binding DNA G-Quadruplexes"

D. M. Engelhard, R. Pievo, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 12843.

"Assembly and Stepwise Oxidation of Interpenetrated Coordination Cages based on Phenothiazine"

M. Frank, J. Hey, I. Balcioglu, Y.-S. Chen, D. Stalke, T. Suenobu, S. Fukuzumi, H. Frauendorf, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 10102.

"Template Control over Dimerization and Guest Selectivity of Interpenetrated Coordination Cages"

S. Freye, R. Michel, D. Stalke, M. Pawliczek, H. Frauendorf, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 8476.

"Stable and Metastable Self-Assembled Rings based on trans-chelated Pd(II)"

F. A. Pereira, T. Fallows, M. Frank, A. Chen, G. H. Clever, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 2013, 639, 1598.

"Counter Ion Dynamics in an Interpenetrated Coordination Cage Capable of Dissolving AgCl"

S. Freye, D. M. Engelhard, M. John, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2013,19, 2114.

"Light-triggered Guest Uptake and Release by a Photochromic Coordination Cage"

M. Han, R. Michel, B. He, Y.-S. Chen, D. Stalke, M. John, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 1319.

(Hot Paper)

"An Inclusion Complex of Hexamolybdate inside a Supramolecular Cage and its Structural Conversion"

M. Han, J. Hey, W. Kawamura, D. Stalke, M. Shionoya, G. H. Clever, Inorg. Chem. 2012, 51, 9574.

Highlighted in the ACS Virtual Issue on "Synthetic Inorganic Chem­is­try" 2013 and the ACS Inorganic Chem­is­try Virtual Issue on "Inorganic Cages and Containers" 2014.

"NMR-Based Structure Determination of an Intertwined Coordination Cage Resembling a Double Trefoil Knot"

D. M. Engelhard, S. Freye, K. Grohe, M. John, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 4747.

"Allosteric Binding of Halide Anions by a New Dimeric Interpenetrated Coordination Cage"

S. Freye, J. Hey, A. Torras-Galán, D. Stalke, R. Herbst-Irmer, M. John, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 2191.

"Stacked Platinum Complexes of the Magnus’ Salt Type Inside a Coordination Cage"

G. H. Clever, W. Kawamura, S. Tashiro, M. Shiro, M. Shionoya, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 2606.

(Hot Paper, Inside Cover)

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Location & approach

The campus of TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity is located close to interstate junction Dort­mund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dort­mund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dort­mund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dort­mund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the uni­ver­si­ty are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dort­mund.

To get from Campus Nord to Campus Süd by car, there is the connection via Vo­gel­pothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus Nord and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.

TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity has its own train station ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dort­mund main station ("Dort­mund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The uni­ver­si­ty is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.

You can also take the bus or subway train from Dort­mund city to the uni­ver­si­ty: From Dort­mund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dort­mund main station to the stop "Dort­mund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dort­mund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S".

The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the uni­ver­si­ty directly with the city of Dort­mund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.

The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dort­mund Airport (DTM) to Dort­mund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dort­mund Central Station, you can continue to the uni­ver­si­ty campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of in­ter­na­tio­nal flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the uni­ver­si­ty station.

The facilities of TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the uni­ver­si­ty are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".

Site Map of TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity (Second Page in English).