Dynamic Cages—Towards Nanostructured Smart Materials

Abstract

The interest in capsular assemblies such as dynamic organic and coordination cages has blossomed over the last decade. Given their chemical and structural variability, these systems have found applications in diverse fields of research, including energy conversion and storage, catalysis, separation, molecular recognition, and live‐cell imaging. In the exploration of the potential of these discrete architectures, they are increasingly being employed in the formation of more complex systems and smart materials. This Review highlights the most promising pathways to overcome common drawbacks of cage systems (stability, recovery) and discusses the most promising strategies for their hybridization with systems featuring various dimensionalities. Following the description of the most recent advances in the fabrication of zero to three‐dimensional cage‐based systems, this Review will provide the reader with the structure‐dependent relationship between the employed cages and the properties of the materials.

Dynamic covalent synthesis

“…Cages represent another class of complex architectures with high application potential whose construction is not trivial, especially when they are composed of more than two components. 88–96 One proposed methodology for synthesizing multicomponent cages involves the dynamic covalent connection of di- and trifunctional building blocks. Stefankiewicz et al 97 have applied this approach to generate a new class of multi-component disulphide cages in water (Fig.…”

Synthesis and Applications of Cage-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks

“…1−3 Due to the self-assembly of small organic molecules, these cages feature internal cavities capable of encapsulating guest molecules and metal nanoparticles. 4,5 This makes them highly attractive for various biological applications and catalysis. 6,7 These cages can be meticulously designed to present well-defined binding pockets within their cavities, customizable in terms of size, topology, and specific functional groups strategically positioned toward the interior.…”