Foldaxane-Based Switchable [c2]Daisy Chains.

Area of Science:

• Molecular machinery
• Supramolecular chemistry
• Materials science

Background:

• Artificial molecular muscles offer unique contraction/stretching properties but face synthesis challenges like low yield and poor selectivity.
• Existing methods for creating complex molecular architectures often suffer from inefficient assembly and byproduct formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel procedure for the dynamic assembly of foldaxane-based [c2]daisy chains.
• To demonstrate selective and efficient synthesis of molecular muscle components.
• To engineer molecular systems capable of responsive motion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized hermaphroditic foldaxane sequences comprising aromatic helices and peptide rods.
• Employed inter-strand hydrogen-bonding interactions for interlocking the sequences.
• Introduced multiple recognition sites to control molecular motion.

Main Results:

• Achieved selective and efficient assembly of [c2]daisy chain structures, minimizing byproduct formation.
• Demonstrated contraction and stretching motion in the synthesized molecular system.
• Quantified the muscle-like motion rate at 0.8 s⁻¹, significantly faster than complex dissociation.

Conclusions:

• The presented method enables efficient and selective synthesis of complex molecular architectures like foldaxane-based [c2]daisy chains.
• The engineered molecular system exhibits responsive, muscle-like contractile and stretching motions.
• This work advances the development of artificial molecular muscles with potential applications in molecular machinery.