Emergent chiral and topological nanoarchitectonics in self-assembled supramolecular systems

Abstract

The fabrication of structures with designated topologies at the nanoscale is an intriguing issue, attributed to the possibility of both imparting unique properties to functional materials and unravelling the codes that lie in many natural systems. As a significant bottom-up approach, the self-assembly strategy is potent in formulating various exquisite structures. While the building of common types of miniaturized structures such as tubes, twists and spheres has been investigated in depth to gain insight into the intrinsic principles that dictate their formation and functions, the preparation of peculiar topological nanostructures is still scattered and unsystematic. In parallel, chirality is among the most ubiquitous phenomena of fundamental significance in nature and is in close relationship with the origin of life. Essentially, chirality represents a type of orderliness and thus may interplay with peculiar topologies in an orchestrated and serendipitous way. In this review, we describe the development of constructing emergent chiral and topological nanoarchitectures via the self-assembly method, mainly focusing on structures including toroids, catenanes, Möbius strips, spirals and fractals. In addition, other types involving toruloids/kebabs, trumpets and bamboos, screws, dendritic and lamellar twists are also exemplified. The design of building blocks and various self-assembling strategies towards these target architectures are highlighted in this review, in an effort to provide an overview of the feasible approaches that facilitate the tailored construction of mesoscopic structures.