Smart Materials Based on Synthetic Host Molecules: The Role of Host–Guest Chemistry in the Fabrication and Application

Stimuli-responsive or smart materials have recently shown a significant impact on the frontier of material science and engineering. The exponential development of synthetic host molecules (SHMs) over the last decades and their corresponding host-guest chemistry, have empowered researchers with new opportunities to design and construct tailored or guest-specific smart materials. In this Minireview, we present the recent advancements in synthetic host based smart materials, ranging from the fabrication strategies to the state-of-art applications including adsorption, separation, luminescence, self-healing and actuation. The role that the host-guest chemistry plays in these systems is highlighted throughout to give a better prospective of the available possibilities for emerging materials of future economies.