A new class of caliyrinxpyrrole-based rotaxanes, which are hybrids of porphyrins and calixpyrroles, was obtained in the group of Prof Bartosz Szyszko of the University of Wrocław. The introduction of calixpyrrole into the rotaxan axis resulted in a new type of molecular motion, the so-called fluttering, which has not yet been described in the scientific literature. In collaboration with prof Bartosz Trzaskowski and Tymoteusz Basak from the University of Warsaw and Dr Vasyl Kinzhybalo from the Institute of Low Temperatures and Structural Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, it has been shown – both computationally and experimentally – that simple modifications to this system give control over its dynamics and allow particular types of motion within the rotaxane to be switched on and off in a controlled manner. This research is a further step towards designing new molecular machines with predictable and controlled dynamic behaviour and exciting new applications.
The work was published in the journal “Angewandthe Chemistry – International Edition”
