Over the last 15 years we have been interested in developing new functional materials based on the principles of supramolecular chemistry such as molecular recognition and self-assembly. More specifically, we have been working on molecular recognition problems using synthetic receptors, especially, a relatively new family of host molecules, cucurbiturils. Recently, by taking advantage of their high binding affinity and specificity, we have been exploring their applications such as in drug delivery, tissue engineering, isolation of plasma membrane proteins, and underwater adhesion. We have been also interested in developing novel nanostructured materials such as polymer nanocapsules, 2D polymers, and hollow toroidal microrings by self-assembly utilizing not only noncovalent interactions but also covalent bonds. Finally, we have been working on modular porous materials made of metal ion and organic building blocks (MOFs), or pure organic molecules, which are potentially useful in many applications including gas storage, catalysis and transport. In this seminar I will present some of our recent work in the first two areas.