Dynamic Cages-Towards Nanostructured Smart Materials

The interest in capsular assemblies such as dynamic organic and coordination cages has blossomed over the last decade. Given their chemical and structural variability, these systems have found applications in diverse fields of research, including energy conversion and storage, catalysis, separation, molecular recognition, and live-cell imaging. In the exploration of the potential of these discrete architectures, they are increasingly being employed in the formation of more complex systems and smart materials. This Review highlights the most promising pathways to overcome common drawbacks of cage systems (stability, recovery) and discusses the most promising strategies for their hybridization with systems featuring various dimensionalities. Following the description of the most recent advances in the fabrication of zero to three-dimensional cage-based systems, this Review will provide the reader with the structure-dependent relationship between the employed cages and the properties of the materials.

Automated summary

Interest in capsular assemblies, such as dynamic organic and coordination cages, has grown significantly over the past decade. These systems have found applications in various research fields and are increasingly being used in the formation of complex systems and smart materials. This Review discusses promising pathways to overcome common drawbacks of cage systems and strategies for their hybridization with systems of different dimensionalities. The structure-dependent relationship between the employed cages and the properties of the materials is also highlighted.