Supramolecular Polymerization: A Conceptual Expansion for Innovative Materials

The research field of supramolecular polymerization has dramatically progressed in the last three decades, and much deeper insights into its new mechanisms, including kinetic and thermodynamic aspects, have become available. Furthermore, a much wider variety of noncovalent interactions have been exploited for connecting monomers, and the importance of multivalency and the concept of pathway complexity have also been recognized. To control supramolecular polymerization, chain-growth supramolecular polymerization, seeded supramolecular polymerization, and sequence-specific supramolecular copolymerization, which are essential for precise macromolecular synthesis, are now possible. The stereochemical aspects of supramolecular polymerization using chiral monomers have also been studied extensively, contributing to the understanding of the kinetic aspects of supramolecular polymerization. Nanotubular supramolecular polymerization, forming rolled-up 2D architectures, in contrast to linear supramolecular polymerization, has also been developed. Through the conceptual expansion of supramolecular polymerization, a much wider variety of monomers and media have become usable, which will enable many groundbreaking applications that cannot be attained by conventional covalent polymerization.