Rotaxane-based molecular machines operated by photoinduced electron transfer

A molecular machine is an assembly of a definite number of molecular components designed to perform mechanical motions as a result of an appropriate external stimulation. Like their macroscopic counterparts, nanoscale machines need energy to operate. Energy can be supplied through (i) chemical reactions, (ii) electrochemical processes, and (iii) photoinduced processes. Although most molecular motors of the biological world are fueled by chemical reactions, for several reasons light is a very good choice to operate artificial molecular machines. Rotaxanes, owing to their peculiar architecture, are attractive candidates for the construction of artificial nanoscale machines. By adopting an incrementally staged design strategy, photoinduced electron-transfer processes have been engineered within rotaxane-type structures with the purpose of obtaining light-powered molecular machines. Such an approach is illustrated by describing the behavior of prototypes investigated in our laboratories.

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Molecular machines operated by light

Open Chemistry ◽

10.2478/s11532-008-0033-4 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 325-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Alberto Credi ◽

Margherita Venturi

Keyword(s):

Molecular Biology ◽

Chemical Reactions ◽

Molecular Motors ◽

Molecular Size ◽

Molecular Machines ◽

Spectroscopic Methods ◽

Material Base ◽

Photochemical Processes ◽

Biological World ◽

Light Excitation

AbstractThe bottom-up construction and operation of machines and motors of molecular size is a topic of great interest in nanoscience, and a fascinating challenge of nanotechnology. Researchers in this field are stimulated and inspired by the outstanding progress of molecular biology that has begun to reveal the secrets of the natural nanomachines which constitute the material base of life. Like their macroscopic counterparts, nanoscale machines need energy to operate. Most molecular motors of the biological world are fueled by chemical reactions, but research in the last fifteen years has demonstrated that light energy can be used to power nanomachines by exploiting photochemical processes in appropriately designed artificial systems. As a matter of fact, light excitation exhibits several advantages with regard to the operation of the machine, and can also be used to monitor its state through spectroscopic methods. In this review we will illustrate the design principles at the basis of photochemically driven molecular machines, and we will describe a few examples based on rotaxane-type structures investigated in our laboratories.

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Photoinduced electron transfer in mechanically interlocked suit[3]ane systems

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/d1tc01673c ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anton J Stasyuk ◽

Olga A. Stasyuk ◽

Miquel Solà ◽

Alexander Voityuk

Keyword(s):

Electron Transfer ◽

Photoinduced Electron Transfer ◽

New Class ◽

Transfer Processes ◽

Two Component ◽

Electron Transfer Processes

Suitanes, a new class of two-component mechanically interlocked systems, have recently been developed. In this work, we report a detailed study of photoinduced electron transfer processes in the suit[3]anes consisting...

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