Towards mechanically-linked polymers

This short review describes the progress which is being made towards the self-assembly of mechanically-linked polymers. A new concept in polymer synthesis - self-assembly - is demonstrated to have the potential to create novel high molecular weight polymers which possess repeat units that do not just consist of a main chain backbone built up of entirely covalent bonds, but are constructed of mechanical linkages comprised of catenane and rotaxane motifs.