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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 6, 2025

Quantitative SERS Detection of Uric Acid via Formation of Precise Plasmonic Nanojunctions within Aggregates of Gold Nanoparticles and Cucurbit[n]uril

Quantitative SERS Detection of Uric Acid via Formation of Precise Plasmonic Nanojunctions within Aggregates of Gold Nanoparticles and Cucurbit[n]uril

Published on: October 3, 2020

Evidenced cucurbit[n]uril-based host-guest interactions using single-molecule force spectroscopy.

Mingyang Zhang¹, Hao Zhang¹, Lunqiang Jin¹

¹The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, P. R. China. schang23@wust.edu.cn.

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)

|January 14, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Single-molecule force spectroscopy quantifies cucurbit[8]uril host-guest interactions. Light-induced conformational changes switch complexation, enabling methyl viologen detection via competitive binding.

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Area of Science:

Supramolecular Chemistry
Chemical Physics
Materials Science

Background:

Host-guest complexation is fundamental in supramolecular chemistry.
Understanding guest-pair interactions within macrocyclic hosts is crucial.
Cucurbiturils (CBs) are versatile macrocyclic hosts with unique binding properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantitatively determine enhanced guest-pair interactions in cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]).
To investigate light-driven dynamic conformational changes influencing host-guest complexation.
To explore the application of single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) in supramolecular chemistry.

Main Methods:

Utilizing single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) to probe molecular interactions.
Employing light-induced conformational changes in guest molecules (bis(azobenzene) derivatives).
Investigating competitive host-guest interactions for analyte detection (methyl viologen).

Main Results:

Quantified enhanced guest-pair interactions within the CB[8] cavity.
Demonstrated light-driven switching of rupture forces in CB[8]-mediated heteroternary complexes.
Successfully detected methyl viologen using competitive binding in CB[8] and CB[7].

Conclusions:

SMFS is a powerful tool for studying supramolecular interactions.
Mechanochemical behavior of host-guest systems can be precisely controlled and detected.
Findings advance the fundamental understanding of host-guest complexation dynamics.