Synthesis and uses of fluorous and highly fluorinated macrocyclic and spherical molecules

•Progresses on fluorous and fluorinated macrocyclic and spherical chemistry.•Syntheses of fluorous and fluorinated crown ethers, porphyrins, calixarenes, and fullerenes.•Applications for catalysis, molecular recognition, molecular imaging, photomaterials, and nanomaterials.

Fluorous and highly fluorinated molecules have special physical, chemical, and biological properties. The development of fluorous technologies has generated a significant impact on the chemistry of macrocyclic and spherical compounds. This paper highlights the synthesis of such compounds and their applications in the fields including catalysis, molecular recognition, surface chemistry, molecular probing, molecular imaging, photomaterials, and nanomaterials.

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