Recent advances in supramolecular luminescent materials based on macrocyclic arenes

Supramolecular luminescent materials (SLMs) exhibit exceptional luminescence properties and the ability to be intelligently regulated through diverse assembly approaches, making them highly attractive in the field of luminescent materials. In recent years, the novel macrocyclic arenes characterized by unique electron-rich structures, ease of derivatization, tunable conformations and even inherent luminescence properties afford much opportunities to create such dynamic smart luminescent materials. The incorporation of macrocyclic arenes into SLMs leads to simple preparation process, diverse photophysical phenomena and sophisticated regulatory mechanisms, which is also currently one of the most frontier and hot topics in macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry and even luminescent materials. In this review, the research advances in construction and applications of SLMs based on macrocyclic arenes in the last several years will be presented from the different assembly strategies, including host-guest complexes, supramolecular polymers, nanoparticles, and other assemblies. Moreover, some insights into future directions for this research area will also be offered. (c) 2025 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.