Surface‐Assembled Mechanically Interlocked Architectures

Abstract

Since the advent of supramolecular chemistry, there has been keen interest in the synthesis of interlocked molecules, given their unique potential to act as receptors, molecular machines and even motors. Despite advances in the complexity of molecular machines that can be synthesised and operated in solution, reports of the operation or even attachment of complex supramolecular systems on solid surfaces are less common. Synthetic challenges and a lack of adequate characterisation techniques to monitor the thermodynamic and kinetic influences governing assembly at the solution–surface interface has slowed progress in this area of research. This Review looks at the developments in the field of covalently assembled interlocked architectures on gold, silica and polymer surfaces, highlighting the differences observed between solution and surface assembly of these unique structures.

Single-molecule non-volatile memories: an overview and future perspectives

“…Mechanical interlocking molecular architectures, exemplified by rotaxane and catenane, can exhibit bistable properties. [75][76][77] These molecules offer intriguing possibilities for designing memory function molecules by utilizing redox reactions to reversibly transform between several stable structures. 78 [2]catenane, for instance, is assembled using a combination of components, including tetrathiofulvalene (TTF), a 1,5-dioxynaphthalene ring system (NP) and two bipyridine units.…”