Rotaxane-based molecular machines operated by photoinduced electron transfer

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 m...

Nonequilibrium photoinduced electron transfer

Rotaxane- and catenane-based molecular machines and motors

The concept of (macroscopic) machine can be extended to the molecular level. A molecular machine can be defined as an assembly of a discrete number of molecular components (i.e., a supramolecular system) in which the component parts can display changes in their relative positions as a result of some external stimulus. Rotaxanes and catenanes are promising systems for the construction of artific...

Photoinduced electron transfer across molecular bridges: electron- and hole-transfer superexchange pathways.

Photoinduced electron transfer plays key roles in many areas of chemistry. Superexchange is an effective model to rationalize photoinduced electron transfer, particularly when molecular bridges between donor and acceptor subunits are present. In this tutorial review we discuss, within a superexchange framework, the complex role played by the bridge, with an emphasis on differences between therm...

Photoinduced Electron Transfer Based Ion Sensing within an Optical Fiber

We combine suspended-core microstructured optical fibers with the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect to demonstrate a new type of fluorescent optical fiber-dip sensing platform for small volume ion detection. A sensor design based on a simple model PET-fluoroionophore system and small core microstructured optical fiber capable of detecting sodium ions is demonstrated. The performance o...