Locking self-assembly: strategies and outcomes.
In the last ten to fifteen years, self-assembly has been increasingly employed to construct discrete supramolecular structures. In most cases, due to the thermodynamic factors that drive the self-assembly process, the final architectures produced by this approach are not kinetically robust. Thus, when robust structures are required a "self-assembly followed by covalent modification" strategy has been commonly applied. However, over the last decade an alternative strategy has emerged. Several methods for "locking" self-assembly, and thus yielding kinetically inert products have been developed. This review outlines the main strategies that have been employed towards such aims and describes some of the properties that result from the enhanced stability of product architectures.
Thomas
Jim A
JA
Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. james.thomas@sheffield.ac.uk
D002625:Chemistry, Organic; D004563:Electrochemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D055601:Organic Chemistry Phenomena; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D019065:Virus Assembly / Q000187:drug effects
D009930:Organic Chemicals; D009942:Organometallic Compounds