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Established less than a decade ago, the fascinating field of two-dimensional (2D) soft materials is advancing continuously towards widespread recognition. After demonstrating the feasibility of obtaining nano-thin supramolecular sheets and morphologically related tubular objects, considerable efforts are being undertaken to explore the functional potential of soft nanosheets. Self-assembly is a major tool for the controlled formation of nanometre-sized 2D objects. In this account, we share our current understanding of the structural requirements to direct the self-assembly of water-soluble, negatively charged oligomers in 2D. The discussion covers some promising areas of utilization such as the reporting of weak mechanical perturbations, the assembly of light-harvesting antennae, the transfer of excitation energy and the polymerization of pre-organized assemblies. The systems presented in this work illustrate the potential of 2D supramolecular materials as complementary systems to their covalent counterparts., (Copyright 2019 Swiss Chemical Society. License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.)

Chemically modified nucleic acids find widespread use as tools in research, as diagnostic reagents and even as pharmaceutical compounds. On the background of antisense research and development, the synthesis and evaluation of modified oligonucleotides was intensively pursued in the early to mid nineties in corporate research of former Ciba. Most of these efforts concentrated on the development of sugar and/or backbone-modified derivatives for pharmaceutical applications. Additionally, oligonucleotide metal conjugates were investigated with the goal to develop artificial ribonucleases. Since the turn of the millennium also the potential of non-nucleosidic and non-hydrogen bonding building blocks has increasingly been recognized. Such derivatives possess unique properties that may have an impact in the fields of materials and genetic research. In this brief account, we take a personal look back on some past as well as some recent results.