Themed collection Mechanically Interlocked Materials
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Advanced supramolecular design for direct ink writing of soft materials
This review draws connections between top-down direct-ink-writing and bottom-up supramolecular designs. Examples of supramolecularly designed viscoelastic inks and perspectives of using supramolecular motifs for 3D printing have been discussed.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2023,52, 1614-1649
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS01011A
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Knotting matters: orderly molecular entanglements
We review recent progress in molecular knotting, the chemistry of orderly molecular entanglements. As complex nanotopologies become increasingly accessible they may play significant roles in molecular design.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 7779-7809
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS00323F
Mechanically interlocked polymers based on rotaxanes
This review focuses on synthetic strategies, characterizations and application explorations of rotaxane-based mechanically interlocked polymers, including linear polyrotaxanes, polyrotaxane networks, and rotaxane dendrimers.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 7046-7065
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS00202G
Mechanically interlocked molecules in metal–organic frameworks
MIM-based MOFs have a promising future in the preparation of smart materials. The vast number of structural possibilities which offer their design are disclosed in this review.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 4949-4976
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS00167E
Polycatenanes: synthesis, characterization, and physical understanding
Polycatenanes are a class of polymers that contain interlocked rings. This review explores the different polycatenane architectures with a focus on their synthesis, properties, simulation, and modelling.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 4928-4948
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS00256F
Noncovalently bound and mechanically interlocked systems using pillar[n]arenes
This review discusses pillar[n]arene-based MIMs such as rotaxanes, catenanes, polyrotaxanes, single-component mechanically self-locked molecules, and supramolecular polymers.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 3648-3687
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS00169A
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Daisy chain architectures: from discrete molecular entities to polymer materials
We review recent progresses in the synthesis and the use of daisy chain architectures as molecular machines and stimuli-responsive materials.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2023,52, 7333-7358
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CS00619K
Mechanically interlocked derivatives of carbon nanotubes: synthesis and potential applications
An introduction to mechanically interlocked derivatives of single-walled carbon nanotubes: their main structural features, their potential advantages compared to covalent and supramolecular derivatives, how to synthesize them, and their most promising fields for application.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 9433-9444
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS00510G
Polyrotaxanes and the pump paradigm
The year 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the first reports of polyrotaxanes in the scientific literature.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 8450-8475
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CS00194B
About this collection
Guest edited by Tatjana Parac-Vogt (KU Leuven), Stephen Loeb (University of Windsor) and Kohzo Ito (The University of Tokyo), this themed collection covers all aspects of research on materials with mechanically interlocked components. The scope of this collection includes, but is not limited to, mechanically interlocked systems in polymers; nanomaterials; porous materials (such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)); and biological systems. Recent advances in synthesis, characterization, and the application of mechanically interlocked materials is highlighted, along with future prospects for the field.