Abstract

Nanocontainers, i.e. particles at the micro and nano scale that can host guest molecules, are of highest interest for various applications especially in nanoscience and biomedicine. Popular examples are the delivery of pharmaceuticals or active agents to specific cell, nerve or tissue domains or the organization of larger scaffolds of artificial matter by arrangements of nancontainers [1]. While in some applications the precise control of the position of individual nanocontainers is negligible, it becomes most important for hierarchical supramolecular organisation. Here, microporous nanocontainers are loaded with guest molecules that are not covalently bound, but occupy cavities of highest geometrical order, and this order is directly transferred to the molecules. The order can be extended from the molecular to the microscopic scale by arranging and organizing the nanocontainers themselves – usually by self-assembly or by chemical means.

© 2011 Optical Society of America