This review article focuses on supramolecular assemblies involving cucurbit[n]uril‐based containers and viologen guests as key building elements. Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n], n = 5–8,10) are fascinating hosts forming a wide range of inclusion complexes (caviplexes) with 4,4′‐bipyridinium salts, known as viologens, either as discrete 1:1 inclusion compounds with CB[7] or as ternary inclusion compounds involving two hosts or two guests (2:1 with CB[7] and 1:2 or 1:1:1 with CB[8]). This property is currently being actively exploited to design and prepare self‐assembled dynamic stimuli‐responsive supramolecular polymers including gels, vesicles, films and organized arrays of polymeric microspheres or nanoparticles. This review highlights the main benefits of such polymers and gives an overview of the achievements and progress made in this field over the past decades. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

No abstract

No abstract

We report a methodology to obtain thin films of cucurbit[6]uril, starting from ammoniacal solutions. This technique is very useful for the obtention of modified electrodes or other substrates for sensor purposes. Cucurbit[6]uril is insoluble in most media, and film formation was impossible until now.

A simple and efficient synthesis of 2,4-dimethylglycoluril involving the formation of trans-4,5-dihydroxy-2-imidazolidinone is presented as well as a reproducible protocol to reduce contamination with its decomposition products, identified as urea and 1,3-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione.

The present paper studies the natural diffusion and migration of monovalent aqueous ions through pyrogallol[4]arene cavitand-loaded poly(vinyl chloride) solid-state membranes exposed to concentration gradients, and electric fields using electrodes coated with such membranes. We have observed that ion flux through these semipermeable membranes is directly proportional to the amount of macrocycle they contain. Ion size, in this particular case, is not the most important factor to limit ion flux, but solvation numbers and energies seem to play a much more important role in the whole process.