Metallasupramolecular architectures, an overview of functional properties and applications

The synthesis of metallasupramolecular architectures, such as two-dimensional squares, triangles and polygons, and three-dimensional cages and polyhedra, has attracted much interest in the past decade. These structures are designed to have novel specific shapes and dimensions with interesting functional properties. In this overview the functional properties of metallasupramolecular architectures are highlighted with emphasis on potential applications such as catalysis, cavity-directed synthesis and sensing, that can be performed with these materials.