C. J Pedersen, J. M Lehn and D. J Cram were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987 for their pioneering contributions in the field of supramolecular chemistry. Since then, supramolecular chemistry as emerging research area has received wide concern and rapid development. Soon afterwards, Nobel Chemistry Prize came back to the supramolecular area, and was awarded to three chemists Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa for their contributions of artificial molecular machine. In the process of development of supramolecular chemistry, the supramolecular assembly research based on macrocyclic compounds has attracted more attention. This is because these macrocyclic compounds not merely possess the ability of molecular recognition, but also can be utilized as convenient building blocks for construction of nanomaterials with biological function, especially for bioactive materials. Looking back on the past, a large number of researchers made a significant contribution to the development of macrocyclic supramolecular chemistry, and laid the solid foundation for it. Thankfully, the researchers from younger generation in this field have gradually grew up and begin to display their talents and score great achievement in this stage.

On the centennial year of Nankai University and at the occasion of the birth of a hundred years of Nankai Chemistry, Springer Nature published the ‘Handbook of Macrocyclic Supramolecular Assembly’, which is edited by Prof. Liu Yu, Prof. Chen Yong and Prof. Zhang Hengyi from the College of Chemistry, Nankai University. And this 550,000-word book with two volumes and fifty-nine chapters was lucky to be prefaced by academician Cheng Jinpei. The preparatory work of this book started at November 2017, and it was formally published at October 2020. More than 50 experts and scholars were involved in composing this book. The content of this book covers the construction and structure of macrocyclic supramolecular assembly, methods and technology of supramolecular assembly and application of supramolecular assembly, which offers relatively well-developed reference material for educators, scientists, graduates and undergraduates and introduces the readers about recent scientific discoveries in the field of macrocyclic supramolecular chemistry, containing supramolecular chemistry, biochemistry, functional materials and nanotechnology based on the macrocyclic compounds. Also, this book aims to help the researchers from other fields better comprehend macrocyclic supramolecular chemistry.