Nanowerk January 18, 2022
The confinement of molecular machines into nanostructured cages and controlling their functions by external stimuli holds great potential for the creation of smart functional materials that imitate the embodied intelligence of biological processes. An international team of researchers (Germany, South Korea) constructed a remotely controllable supramolecular rotor inside a hollow cube-shaped zinc(II)-metallated porphyrinic cage (Zn-PB) molecule with a linear axle. The addition of a chemical stimulant initiates both rotary motion (rotation of the rotor arm around the axle) and tumbling motion (rotation of the axle) with rotation speeds of 4000 Hz and 1 Hz, respectively. By choosing a suitable arm for the brake, a controlled rotor can be designed that can be started or stopped by external stimuli. They designed a pyridine-based photo responsive molecule that can connect and disconnect with Zn-PB when exposed to UV and visible light which allows reversible control of the dual mechanical motions of the rotor. According to the researchers remotely controlling the functions will be beneficial for understanding the operation of natural molecular machinery as well as for the development of smart and tunable molecular devices…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: Chempr. January 18, 2022Â