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A series of peptide-appended bisresorcinarenes were synthesized, which adopted tubular conformation induced by intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The derivatives formed unimolecular artificial transmembrane channels in lipid bilayers to enable selective transport of monovalent cations. Importantly, the channels exhibited reversible ligand-gating behavior in response to alkyl amine and Cu2+.

A series of glycoside-peptide conjugates were prepared by engineering at the N-terminus of the natural peptide gramicidin A. The conjugate containing galactose moiety formed a unimolecular transmembrane channel and mediated ion transport to induce apoptosis of cancer cells. More importantly, it exhibited liver cancer cell-targeting behavior due to the galactose-asialoglycoprotein receptor recognition.

A hydrogen bonded foldamer unit and an azobenzene unit have been incorporated into the linear component of a tristable [2]rotaxane to give rise to a doubly gated switching system tuned by the folding-defolding of the foldamer unit and the photo-initiated trans-cis isomerization of the azobenzene unit.

The development of homogeneous, water-soluble periodic self-assembled structures comprise repeating units that produce porosity in two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) spaces has become a topic of growing interest in the field of supramolecular chemistry. Such novel self-assembled entities, known as supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs), are the result of programmed host-guest interactions, which allows for the thermodynamically controlled generation of monolayer sheets or a diamondoid architecture with regular internal cavities or pores under mild conditions. This feature article aims at propagating the conceptually novel SOFs as a new entry into conventional supramolecular polymers. In the first section, we will describe the background of porous solid frameworks and supramolecular polymers. We then introduce the self-assembling behaviour of several multitopic flexible molecules, which is closely related to the design of periodic SOFs from rigid multitopic building blocks. This is followed by a brief discussion of cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8])-encapsulation-enhanced aromatic stacking in water. The three-component host-guest pattern based on this stacking motif has been utilized to drive the formation of most of the new SOFs. In the following two sections, we will highlight the main advances in the construction of 2D and 3D SOFs and the related functional aspects. Finally, we will offer our opinions on future directions for both structures and functions. We hope that this article will trigger the interest of researchers in the field of chemistry, physics, biology and materials science, which should help accelerate the applications of this new family of soft self-assembled organic frameworks.

A new class of pyrene-appended m-phenylene ethynylene oligomers, which bear no alkyl chains or heteroatoms, have been demonstrated to gelate organic solvents, and one of them forms chiral twisted gels in cyclohexane.

A chiral supramolecular alternate block copolymer has been self-assembled from a ureidopyrimidinone (UPy)-terminated arylamide-based hydrogen bonded foldamer and a structurally flexible pentamer, which is driven by the ion-pair binding of the two arylamide segments toward chiral ammonium and carboxylate guests.

[60]Fullerene reacts with buta-2,3-dienoates in the presence of phosphine to form alkyl 3′H-1,2-([1′,2′]cyclopenta)[60]fullerene-5 ′-carboxylates.