Supramolecular chemistry of nanoclusters

Supramolecular chemistry of nanoclusters (NCs) is one of the most exciting areas of modern materials science. The recent advances in the supramolecular chemistry of NCs and the usage of the resulting structures are the main topics of this book chapter. In particular, the noncovalent interactions between NCs and molecules like fullerenes, cyclodextrins, cucurbiturils, crown ethers, etc. are its main focus. The topic has been divided into four sections: supramolecular chemistry of NCs with (1) fullerenes, (2) cyclodextrins (CDs), (3) cucurbiturils (CBs), and (4) crown ethers. Following a concise discussion of these topics, various emerging properties of these materials in terms of optical, magnetic, charge-transfer, etc. and applications are presented. Finally, we emphasise the potential for future research and expansion in the field. This book chapter would be beneficial to anyone working on functional nanostructures in general, and NCs in particular.