Supramolecular chiral functional materials

The preparation of chiral functional materials with new, improved, and interesting properties is aided tremendously by control of the spatial arrangement of the functional units within them. The use of non-covalent interactions is absolutely critical in this regard, and the molecular-supramolecular balance has to be strictly controlled. The conducting, magnetic and optical properties of chiral materials whose function is profoundly influenced by supramolecular chemistry will be reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on the control of helical arrangements in liquid crystalline systems, in which both chiral induction and spontaneous resolution are important phenomena which can be controlled.