ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the assembly of bulk supramolecular materials using macro cyclic compounds, such as cyclodextrins (CDs), crown ethers, calix[n]arenes, cucurbit[n]urils, pillar[n]arenes and other macro cyclic compounds. It describes bulk supramolecular assemblies of other macro cyclic compounds. CDs have no symmetric structures and hydroxyl groups at both rims; thus, channel-type assemblies are obtained by connecting CD molecules by intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups on the rims of the CDs. Crown ethers were the first synthetic macro cyclic compounds reported by Pedersen in 1967. The repeating units of crown ethers are flexible and amphiphilic ethylene oxide moieties. A straightforward approach to obtain liquid crystal materials using calix[n]arenes is to introduce mesogenic moieties using the high reactivity of the phenolic groups. Pillar[n]arenes have highly symmetrical pillar-shaped structures, which are similar to the highly symmetrical cucurbit[n]urils. The other interesting aspect of pillar [n]arene chemistry is the versatile functionalization of pillar[n]arenes.
