Functional Post-Synthetic Chemistry of Metal-Organic Cages According to Molecular Architecture and Specific Geometry...

Metal-organic cages (MOCs) are discrete supramolecular entities consisting of metal nodes and organic connectors or linkers; MOCs are noted for their high porosity and processability. Chemically, they can be post-synthetically modified (PSM) and new functional groups can be introduced, presenting attractive qualities, and it is expected that their new properties will differ from those of the original compound. This is why they are highly regarded in the fields of biology and chemistry. The present review deals with the current PSM strategies used for MOCs, including covalent, coordination, and noncovalent methods and their structural benefits. The main emphasis of this review is to show to what extent and under what circumstances a MOC can be designed to obtain a tailored geometric architecture. Although sometimes unclear when examining supramolecular systems, particularizing the design of and systematic approaches to the development and characterization of families of MOCs provides new insights into structure-function relationships, which will guide future developments.