Cyclodextrin-based inclusion complexation bridging supramolecular chemistry and macromolecular self-assembly

Research into macromolecular self-assembly has been progressively developing since the 1970s but with a little affect from the achievements of supramolecular chemistry. In recent years, this situation has changed as more and more factors and concepts in supramolecular chemistry have been introduced into studies of the self-assembly of polymers. In this respect, inclusion complexation based on cyclodextrins plays a remarkable role. In this tutorial review, we address how inclusion complexation has been employed and used to promote the recent developments in macromolecular self-assembly. These include the amphiphilicity adjustment of macromolecules, non-covalent linkages for forming pseudo block copolymers and…