Functional supramolecular nanomaterials: robust yet adaptive

Self-assembled nanoscale systems that are robust yet adaptive and prone to facile fabrication and reversible disassembly are of primary importance for creating multifunctional adaptive nanomaterials. We introduce the emergent field of robust noncovalent nanomaterials and, using this context, present our work on water-based noncovalent materials, including membranes that can be used for size-selective separations of nanoparticles and biomolecules. We will also describe emerging rational design principles for creating highly ordered functional nanoarrays assembled from well-defined molecular units, enabling a general approach to photonic nanomaterials. These findings advance a paradigm of noncovalent nanomaterials as a versatile and environmentally friendly alternative to covalent systems.