Energy transfer in supramolecular materials for new applications in photonics and electronics

Supramolecular materials use self-assembly of molecular components to form complex architectures that may otherwise be extremely difficult to prepare. One of the fundamental aspects of this approach is that relatively weak intermolecular forces are used to direct the assembly of the subcomponents. An important point is how to achieve strong electronic communication throughout the material in view of the 'looseness' of the molecular constituents, which interact only weakly. This is particularly important for applications in molecular electronics where exciton delocalization and charge transport generally limit the overall device performance. This review focuses on recent advances in supramolecular materials and architectures that are engineered to possess efficient energy transfer between the self-assembled component in view of new applications in photonics and electronics.