Beyond Platonic: How to Build Metal–Organic Polyhedra Capable of Binding Low-Symmetry, Information-Rich Molecular Cargoes

The field of metallosupramolecular chemistry has advanced rapidly in recent years. Much work in this area has focused on the formation of hollow self-assembled metal-organic architectures and exploration of the applications of their confined nanospaces. These discrete, soluble structures incorporate metal ions as 'glue' to link organic ligands together into polyhedra.Most of the architectures employed thus far have been highly symmetrical, as these have been the easiest to prepare. Such high-symmetry structures contain pseudospherical cavities, and so typically bind roughly spherical guests. Biomolecules and high-value synthetic compounds are rarely isotropic, highly-symmetrical species. To bind, sense,…

• LT
  Leverhulme Trust

  Award: ECF-2018-684
• IN
  Isaac Newton Trust
• EA
  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  Awards: EP/P027067/1, EP/P027067, EPSRC EP/T031603/1, EP/T031603/1, EP/T031603/1, EP/T031603, EP/P027067/1, EPSRC EP/P027067/1
• SS
  Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge
• HE
  H2020 European Research Council

  Award: 695009