Self-assembled macromolecular and macrosupramolecular systems

Abstract

This short review describes the recent advances that have been made in the construction of macromolecular and macrosupramolecular systems, employing a novel concept in synthesis - namely self-assembly. This concept relies upon information transfer between the precursor building blocks during the formation of the macromolecule and macrosupramolecule. This information is preprogrammed into the precursors in the form of non-covalent bonding interactions. A large variety of macromolecular and macrosupramolecular systems have thus far been self-assembled. Selected highlights in the field are featured, with emphasis on recent results obtained in the authors' laboratories.