Multistep molecular and macromolecular assembly for the creation of complex nanostructures

Abstract

In this short review, we provide an overview of multistep molecular and macromolecular assembly in syntheses of higher-order structures that are unobtainable under thermodynamic control. As in the case of organic/macromolecular chemistry, a synthetic scheme is designed such that a series of assembly processes eventually leads to a complex structure. The recent progress in this research field has been made based on the mechanistic understandings from viewpoints of both thermodynamics and kinetics. We also describe relevant systems which make use of advanced experimental apparatuses such as optical tweezers, high-speed atomic force microscopy, and so on. The unprecedented structures obtainable in this way might play a pivotal role in bridging the hierarchical levels from the molecular scale to the macroscopic world, leading to new functional supramolecular materials.