Metal-organic spheres as functional systems for guest encapsulation.

Music of the spheres: Infinite coordination polymerization of Zn(2+) ions and a multitopic ligand produces metal-organic micro- and nanospheres that can be used as functional matrices. The spheres can encapsulate combinations of active substances, such as organic dyes, magnetic nanoparticles, or luminescent quantum dots (see image), which results in spheres that are luminescent in the blue, green, and red regions of the spectrum.