Synthetic methodologies towards the preparation of oligomeric and polymeric mechanically interlocked molecules are described, including both covalent strategies and self-assembly approaches.

A dynamic rotaxane ligand self-assembles with palladium(ii) ions to form a metallo-[5]rotaxane with a porous cage at its core.

Using a post-synthetic modification strategy we have prepared a series of functionalised [2]catenanes to study the impact of mechanically-enforced proximity on functional group properties, including emission, electrochemistry and photoreactivity.