FOSIMEL

Aromatic Foldamers for Single Molecule Electronics

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Recent work has demonstrated 1°) the synthetic accessibility of rigid, rod-like, helically folded aromatic amide oligomers of very large size – up to 48 units, over 12 kDa, and 7 nm long; and 2) the ability of short segments of the same oligomers to transport electrons at very fast rates via a super exchange mechanism. This project plans to investigate the potential of such unusual synthetic objects as building blocks in molecular electronics. The research plan involves several parallel tracks concerning the synthesis of very long foldamers, their functionalization with electron acceptors and donors or with groups for surface attachment, and the physical studies of electron transport by these objects using photophysical techniques and single molecule studies on surfaces. The applicant has experience in organic materials for electronic applications. She will join, and bring her expertise to, a host laboratory in France specialized in foldamer design, synthesis and structural characterization. The characterization of electron transport will be carried out in collaboration with several other well established groups in the Netherlands. A return phase is programmed to the original Institution in China with which the host laboratory already possesses an on going collaboration on foldamer design and characterization.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

EU-funded scientists shed light on important complex formation mechanisms that could lead to the design of novel molecular motors and other nanomachines.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Some oligomers, chain-structured molecules consisting of a few repeating units, spontaneously fold into three-dimensional conformations in solutions. Such foldamers have now been produced synthetically and are proving an excellent model with which to study protein folding mechanisms.

More recently, some of these foldamers have shown exciting ultra-fast electron transport ability via a rapid exchange mechanism. This property could provide a basis for molecular electronics and nanomachines.

EU funding supported the detailed investigation of rigid, rod-like, helically folded aromatic amide oligomers of very large size. The project 'Aromatic foldamers for single molecule electronics' (FOSIMEL) synthesised and functionalised these foldamers in various solvents and studied them in chloroform, chloroform?acetone mixtures, and chloroform?acetonitrile mixtures.

The team's previous work had reported on incorporation of rod-shaped 'guests' into helical hosts. In the present study, the researchers extended this by investigating the winding or threading rate constants of host-guest formations in which one end is stoppered. The hypothesis was that, in varying polarity of solvents, the unstoppered end will thread itself into the helix.

Investigators prepared the foldamer guests with both ends stoppered as the reference condition for which only winding of the host around them can occur. The team then used nuclear magnetic resonance spectra to study host-guest complex formation and kinetics.

Scientists demonstrated that both molecular conformation and solvation play critical roles in the formation of helix - rod host - guest complexes. FOSIMEL has laid the foundations on which to build a deeper understanding of foldamer structure and function. Such understanding will improve our ability to manipulate and control foldamers, opening the door to design of innovative nanomachines. In parallel, it will provide a novel tool with which to investigate biological processes.