Designing dynamic functional molecular systems

Mechanically Interlocked Molecules (MIMs)—Molecular Shuttles, Switches, and Machines (Nobel Lecture)

“…Nonetheless,i tis ac hallenge that the chemistry community has embraced increasingly during the past two decades with much of the teaching of the fundamental theory coming from the physics community,and, in particular, one very prominent physicist from the University of Maine,n amely Dean Astumian [45][46][47][48] with whom we have collaborated as well as published several reviews [49][50][51] that stand alongside acrop [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69] that can be traced back for at least two decades from the present day.I nm yN obel Lecture,Ichose to highlight the progress [50,51] we have made in recent times on the design and synthesis of artificial molecular pumps,based on the building blocks that found their origins almost 40 years ago in the ICI Corporate Laboratory and were used by us [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] to put the mechanical bond on afirm footing before introducing [28] them into molecular switches in the first instance.…”

“…Af undamental property of biological molecular machines,e .g., the motor proteins, [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] is that they consume energy and drive systems away from equilibrium by controlling kinetic barriers.The emergence of the science of artificial molecular machines (AMMs) in the hands of chemists,for the most part, presents us with asteep learning curve to negotiate. Nonetheless,i tis ac hallenge that the chemistry community has embraced increasingly during the past two decades with much of the teaching of the fundamental theory coming from the physics community,and, in particular, one very prominent physicist from the University of Maine,n amely Dean Astumian [45][46][47][48] with whom we have collaborated as well as published several reviews [49][50][51] that stand alongside acrop [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69] that can be traced back for at least two decades from the present day.I nm yN obel Lecture,Ichose to highlight the progress [50,51] we have made in recent times on the design and synthesis of artificial molecular pumps,based on the building blocks that found their origins almost 40 years ago in the ICI Corporate Laboratory and were used by us [21][22][23][24]...…”

A Multifunctional Dye‐doped Liquid Crystal Polymer Actuator: Light‐Guided Transportation, Turning in Locomotion, and Autonomous Motion

“…[1] They are intrinsically or are designed to be responsive to different stimuli, such as chemicals,t emperature,m oisture,m agnetic field, electrical field, and light. [1,2] Photoresponsive materials stand out from the others owing to preference for clean energy,w ireless and remote manipulation, and localized control. [3] However, to achieve lightenabled multifunctionality using one material is intriguing and challenging.S oft optical actuators are emerging as potential active components in soft robots,b ecause they provide flexible shape change and sophisticated mechanical motions as required in robotic systems.…”

Intrinsically Photoswitchable α/β Peptides toward Two‐State Foldamers

“…As a specific case, the switch between the Z and E isomers of a 3‐aminoprop‐2‐enoic acid residue, inserted as the junction between two different peptide domains (one helical while the other β‐sheet promoter), allows supramolecular self‐association to be reversibly turned on/off. We are confident that the photoswitchable Δ Z βAla/ Δ E βAla system may provide a valuable structural element in the design of two‐state functional foldamers for biomimetic and nanotechnological applications …”