Rotaxane recognition and assembly methods were used to produce new architectures based on a metallorotaxane (Cu, Zn) monomer bearing two independently electropolymerizable groups in the threading unit and the macrocycle host. The controlled assembly and polymn. of the metallorotaxane monomers leads to three-stranded ladder polymers, wherein one of the conjugated chains is sandwiched between two other chains. In this structure the internal polymer behaves as a partially isolated mol. wire when the outer strands are in an insulating state. Neglecting minor effects arising from conformational issues (there are two enantiomeric conformations) the polymer formed from the threading unit is twice as long as the polymer contg. the macrocycle. When the outer polymer chains are insulating, the electroactivity of Cu or Zn ions can assist in interchain transport. [on SciFinder(R)]