Supramolecular chemistry is a rapidly growing field, which has had remarkable impact on the life sciences on one hand and on materials sciences on the other. In the life sciences, the networks of noncovalent interactions between the constituents of cells, for example, have shifted into the current focus. Self-assembly, templation, self-sorting and multivalent binding all contribute to setting up the extremely complex architecture of a cell. But the same concepts are useful for generating materials with function, when for example the building blocks are programmed appropriately to find their places in a larger, noncovalent architecture. The basis for all these concepts is molecular recognition. Recently, many studies have been devoted to quantifying host–guest interactions, aiming at a more profound understanding of the subtle entropic and enthalpic effects that govern the interactions between host and guest.

See also the Thematic Series:
Supramolecular chemistry
Superstructures with cyclodextrins: Chemistry and applications IV