Defining, designing and determining the structure of supramolecular frameworks

Supramolecular frameworks, ordered porous networks assembled by noncovalent interactions, are a broad class of functional materials with emergent combinations of properties arising from the relatively weak interactions used to assemble them. However, the coherent advancement of the field is challenged by the abundance of different names and acronyms used for very similar structures and the varying degrees of rigour met during the characterisation of these materials. This has led to considerable confusion, particularly for those new to the field, which can lead to important early work being overlooked and stagnation of progress. In this Tutorial Review, we provide a brief introduction to the field, suggest a coherent naming system for these materials, and rigorous standards for their characterisation. We finish by discussing design principles that can be used to increase the chances of obtaining supramolecular frameworks with desired structures and properties.