Liquid-crystalline catenanes and rotaxanes

Catenanes and rotaxanes are mechanically interlocked molecules. For further functionalization, the introduction of such molecules into ordered fluid states is of interest. The control of their dynamic properties in liquid-crystalline order may lead to the development of new smart soft materials such as stimuli-responsive materials and molecular machines. In this review, thermotropic and lyotropic liquid-crystalline catenanes and rotaxanes are described. One approach to the induction of liquid crystallinity to [2]catenanes and [2]rotaxanes is the attachment of mesogenic moieties. Rigid-rod polyrotaxanes that behave as mesogens also exhibit liquid-crystalline properties.