Molecular architecture of cyclic nanostructures: use of co-ordination chemistry in the building of supermolecules with predefined geometric shapes

Rapid growth and recent breakthroughs in the field of molecular manufacturing have resulted in the development of an entirely new synthetic strategy for the preparation of organized nanostructures. This strategy is based on molecular self-assembly, a phenomenon in which the individual subunits are quickly driven together and held in place by multiple, accurately positioned non-covalent interactions, The use of transition metals and coordination-based design allows the formation of a variety of self-organized nanosystems in a few highly convergent synthetic steps. Molecular architecture utilizes the large diversity of available transition metals and their co-ordination chemistry to create complex geometric shapes. This article explores some of its most interesting aspects, beginning with the construction of simple self-assembled structures that have the shapes of various convex polygons, such as squares, rectangles and triangles to more complex assemblages with shapes of polyhedra and three-dimensional nets. An attempt is also made to provide insight on how this strategy can be used to create advanced materials with properties and functions determined by their structure.