Out-of-Equilibrium Assembly Based on Host–Guest Interactions

Abstract

The field of supramolecular chemistry is rapidly progressing, transitioning from the creation of thermodynamically stable systems found in local or global minima on the free energy landscape to the development of out-of-equilibrium systems that rely on chemical reactions to establish and maintain their structures. Over the past decade, numerous artificial out-of-equilibrium systems have been devised in various domains of supramolecular chemistry, many of which have been extensively reviewed. However, one area that has received limited attention thus far is the use of out-of-equilibrium processes to regulate host–guest interactions. This minireview aims to address this gap by exploring the construction of out-of-equilibrium systems based on host–guest complexation, which likely employs similar strategies to those employed in analogous noncovalent interactions. The review begins with a summary of these shared strategies. Subsequently, it discusses representative publications that exemplify these strategies and classifies them based on which component is being modulated–host, guest, or competitive molecules. Through this examination, our objective is to shed light on the design of out-of-equilibrium systems relying on host–guest interactions and provide valuable insights into the preparation strategies for various transient materials.