Stimuli-Responsive Cucurbit[n]uril-Mediated Host-Guest Complexes on Surfaces

Supramolecular functional surfaces are at the heart of many materials and medical applications. Increasing interest can be seen for devising new supramolecular functionalization strategies of surfaces. In this review we place particular emphasis on the use of cucurbit[n]uril-mediated host-guest complexation as surface functionalization strategy. The state of the art of cucurbit[n]uril-mediated host-guest complexes on surfaces is reviewed. Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]) are able to form strong host-guest complexes with affinities that span several orders of magnitudes up to the regime of the biotin-streptavidin pair and that can be modulated by applying remote stimuli provided suitably sensitive guests were selected. Strategies to fabricate stimuli-responsive surfaces creates versatile supramolecular systems and several applications of these types of surfaces are outlined