Photophysics of soft and hard molecular assemblies based on luminescent complexes

In this chapter, we discuss several approaches that have led from molecular entities to supramolecular soft and hard molecular architectures. Systems based on metal complexes with d6 and d8 electronic configuration forming assemblies such as micelles, vesicles, and gels, as well as crystalline structures, will be illustrated. The focus is on the role played by the metal complexes chemical structures as well as the choice of the intermolecular interactions in the ground and/or excited electronic states within the arrays. The selected examples, based on noncovalently linked luminescent systems, aim to the development of multifunctional assemblies, in which the self-organization generates new functions, for potential applications in optically addressable materials. The question is how much we can rationalize the behavior and predict the structures and their properties on the basis of the design.