Self‐assembled wires and channels

Supramolecular wires and channels are one‐dimensional molecular materials capable of transporting charge, etc. in a predefined direction. Examples are given of wires and channels that have been formed by self‐assembly in the liquid‐crystalline state or in solution, for example from alkoxy‐substituted triphenylenes (see Figure; R = aliphatic chain), using various approaches. The underlying principles are stressed. magnified image