title: Relative contractile motion of the rings in a switchable palindromic [3]rotaxane in aqueous solution driven by radical-pairing interactions.
abstract: Artificial muscles are an essential component for the development of next-generation prosthetic devices, minimally invasive surgical tools, and robotics. This communication describes the design, synthesis, and characterisation of a mechanically interlocked molecule (MIM), capable of switchable and reversible linear molecular motion in aqueous solution that mimics muscular contraction and extension. Compatibility with aqueous solution was achieved in the doubly bistable palindromic [3]rotaxane design by using radical-based molecular recognition as the driving force to induce switching.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. stoddart@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Leah S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Witus
authors.forename: Karel J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hartlieb
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Aleksandrs
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prokofjevs
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frasconi
authors.forename: Jonathan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: Albert C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fahrenbach
authors.forename: J Fraser
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Stoddart
mesh_terms: D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D004563:Electrochemistry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D043862:Rotaxanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012996:Solutions; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D043862:Rotaxanes; D012996:Solutions