Temporally Controlled Supramolecular Polymerization

Abstract

The urge towards a precise control over structure and function of supramolecular polymers has recently aroused interest in temporally controlled supramolecular polymerization. The field is divided into two; living and transient supramolecular polymerization. The former deals with structural control such as length and dispersity, analogous to living polymerization in conventional polymers. The latter requires a temporally controlled switching of a structural/functional state in a supramolecular polymer. Such a control has been inspired by nature that has a precise control over spatial and temporal regimes. In this account, we describe the necessity and challenges in achieving temporal control over supramolecular polymerization. We have reviewed important reports that have attempted to obtain living and transient supramolecular polymerization. Although there has been significant advancement, the field is still in infancy due to lack of generalized schemes and designs, and we have thus discussed our perspective towards the future directions to obtain general design and next level complex supramolecular materials with spatio-temporal control.