Research Projects

The field of supramolecular nanomachines is a crucial area in the nanotechnological revolution, with the potential to solve critical problems in catalysis, sensing, and switching. Interlocked supramolecular nanomachines may have exciting properties and functions depending on their complex structural topologies. An initial attempt is urgently needed to step up from the molecular level to the supramolecular level to uncover this unexplored field. The proposal proposes a facile approach to develop various supramolecular interlocked nanomachines, including poly [n]catanenes, poly[n]pseudorotaxane, [2]pseudorotaxane, and multi-axle [2]pseudorotaxane. The bottom-up strategy underpins the design from simple monomers to complex nanomachines via downstream structural evolution. The emergence of nano poly[n]catenanes is expected to rely on the history of evolution from hexameric rosette to nanotoroid to [2]catenanes to higher-ordered interlocked structures. To achieve nanotoroid, several approaches such as thermal quenching, high dilution, and kinetically controlled polymerization are proposed. An archetypal example of complexification is included, where two different types of supramolecular systems are controlled while running in the same pot, leading to the formation of various types of supramolecular interlocked nanomachines on demand. The project includes a fluorescence assay for pinpoint detection of the nanotoroid position in [2]pseudorotaxane while moving along the nanofiber axle. The speed of the nanotoroid ring is also expected to be accelerated by implanting dynamic thiol-thioester chemistry in the system of nano [2]pseudorotaxane.