The Supramolecular Chemistry of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials

The combination of nanomaterials as solid supports and supramolecular concepts has led to the development of hybrid materials with improved functionalities. These “hetero‐supramolecular” ideas provide a means of bridging the gap between molecular chemistry, materials sciences, and nanotechnology. In recent years, relevant examples have been reported on functional aspects, such as enhanced recognition and sensing by using molecules on preorganized surfaces, the reversible building of nanometer‐sized networks and 3D architectures, as well as biomimetic and gated chemistry in hybrid nanomaterials for the development of advanced functional protocols in three‐dimensional frameworks. This approach allows the fine‐tuning of the properties of nanomaterials and offers new perspectives for the application of supramolecular concepts. Taking chemical functionality to a new level: Blending 2D and 3D nanoscopic structures with supramolecular concepts can be used to generate systems for enhanced recognition and sensing, to control assembly and disassembly processes, and give the possibility for biomimetic reactions within nanoscopic scaffolds.