Construction and application of tunable one-dimensional soft supramolecular assemblies

Self-assembly of small molecules into one-dimensional soft nanostructures offers many advantages in understanding biological process and fabrication of electronically active materials. In recent decades, various one-dimensional soft nanostructures have been fabricated. The present review focuses on the following content: (1) frequently occurring forces in one-dimensional molecular self-assembly; (2) how these forces are used to construct this type of nanostructures; (3) fine-tuning one-dimensional self-assemblies by employing tools such as photo, pH, temperature, additives, and concentration; (4) some examples of the applications of one-dimensional self-assemblies in fabrication of one-dimensional hard materials are described.