Supramolecular assemblies by charge-transfer interactions between donor and acceptor chromophores

We have collated various supramolecular designs that utilize organic donor-acceptor CT complexation to generate noncovalently co-assembled structures including fibrillar gels, micelles, vesicles, nanotubes, foldamers, conformationally restricted macromolecules, and liquid crystalline phases. Possibly inspired by nature, chemists have extensively used hydrogen bonding as a tool for supramolecular assemblies of a diverse range of abiotic building blocks. As a structural motif, CT complexes can be compared to hydrogen-bonded complexes in its directional nature and complementarities. Additional advantages of CT interactions include wider solvent tolerance and easy spectroscopic probing. Nevertheless the major limitation is their low association constant. This article shows different strategies have evolved over the years to overcome this drawback by reinforcing the CT interactions with auxiliary noncovalent forces without hampering the alternate stacking mode. Emerging reports on promising CT complexes in organic electronics are intimately related to various supramolecular designs that one can postulate based on donor-acceptor CT interactions.