Chapter 3: Light-induced Processes in Coordination Cages

Metal/ligand coordination cages provide versatile opportunities for exploitation of useful photophysical properties in self-assembled systems. The metal ions or ligands can themselves be chromophoric and display useful photophysical properties, as in many simpler coordination complexes: but the hollow capsule-like nature of coordination cages means that the binding of guests inside the central cavities adds substantially to the possibilities for functional behaviour, as the guests may themselves be chromophoric or may interact with the array of excited-state chromophores in the cage that surrounds a bound guest. This chapter summarises the rapidly developing field of photoactive coordination cages and their applications in areas from size-/shape-specific sensing of substrates to photoinduced chemical transformations that occur inside the cage cavities.