Self-Assembled Artificial Ion-Channels toward Natural Selection of Functions

Owing to their significant physiological functions, especially as selective relays for translocation of physiological relevant species through cellular membranes, natural ion channels play important role in the living organisms. During the last decades, the field of self-assembled ion channels has been continuously developed. Convergent multidimensional self-assembly strategies have been used for the synthesis of unimolecular channels or non-covalent self-organized channels, designed to mimic natural ion channel proteins and for which a rich array of interconverting or adaptive channel conductance states can be observed. In this review, we give an overview on the development of various self-assembled artificial channels in a bottom-up approach, especially their design, self-assembly behaviour, transport activity in lipid bilayer membranes, mechanism of transport and comparison with natural ion channels. Finally, we discuss their applications, the potential challenges facing in this field as well as future development and perspectives.