This Research Front comprises selected papers that were presented at the 2nd Molecular Materials Meeting in Singapore (M3@Singapore) from 9 to 11 January 2012 that was organized by the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) of A*STAR, Singapore. The conference brought together leading researchers in the disciplines of chemistry, materials science, physics, biology, medicine and engineering to discuss the advances in molecular materials and cultivate cross-disciplinary research.