Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures. Understanding self-assembly and the associated noncovalent interactions that connect complementary interacting molecular surfaces in biological aggregates is a central concern in structural biochemistry. Self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis, with the potential of generating nonbiological structures with dimensions of 1 to 10(2) nanometers (with molecular weights of 10(4) to 10(10) daltons). Structures in the upper part of this range of sizes are presently inaccessible through chemical synthesis, and the ability to prepare them would open a route to structures comparable in size (and perhaps complementary in function) to those that can be prepared by microlithography and other techniques of microfabrication.

Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: A chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures

The widespread use of molecular machines in biology has long suggested that great rewards could come from bridging the gap between synthetic molecular systems and the machines of the macroscopic world. In the last two decades, it has proved possible to design synthetic molecular systems with architectures where triggered large amplitude positional changes of submolecular components occur. Perhaps the best way to appreciate the technological potential of controlled molecular-level motion is to recognize that nanomotors and molecular-level machines lie at the heart of every significant biological process. Over billions of years of evolution, nature has not repeatedly chosen this solution for performing complex tasks without good reason. When mankind learns how to build artificial structures that can control and exploit molecular level motion and interface their effects directly with other molecular-level substructures and the outside world, it will potentially impact on every aspect of functional molecule and materials design. An improved understanding of physics and biology will surely follow.

The first steps on the long path to the invention of artificial molecular machines were arguably taken in 1827 when the Scottish botanist Robert Brown observed the haphazard motion of tiny particles under his microscope.1,2 The explanation for Brownian motion, that it is caused by bombardment of the particles by molecules as a consequence of the kinetic theory of matter, was later provided by Einstein, followed by experimental verification by Perrin.3,4 The random thermal motion of molecules and its implications for the laws of thermodynamics in turn inspired Gedankenexperiments (“thought experiments”) that explored the interplay (and apparent paradoxes) of Brownian motion and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Richard Feynman’s famous 1959 lecture “There’s plenty of room at the bottom” outlined some of the promise that manmade molecular machines might hold.5,6 However, Feynman’s talk came at a time before chemists had the necessary synthetic and analytical tools to make molecular machines. While interest among synthetic chemists began to grow in the 1970s and 1980s, progress accelerated in the 1990s, particularly with the invention of methods to make mechanically interlocked molecular systems (catenanes and rotaxanes) and control and switch the relative positions of their components.7−24

Here, we review triggered large-amplitude motions in molecular structures and the changes in properties these can produce. We concentrate on conformational and configurational changes in wholly covalently bonded molecules and on catenanes and rotaxanes in which switching is brought about by various stimuli (light, electrochemistry, pH, heat, solvent polarity, cation or anion binding, allosteric effects, temperature, reversible covalent bond formation, etc.). Finally, we discuss the latest generations of sophisticated synthetic molecular machine systems in which the controlled motion of subcomponents is used to perform complex tasks, paving the way to applications and the realization of a new era of “molecular nanotechnology”.

1.1. The Language Used To Describe Molecular Machines
Terminology needs to be properly and appropriately defined and these meanings used consistently to effectively convey scientific concepts. Nowhere is the need for accurate scientific language more apparent than in the field of molecular machines. Much of the terminology used to describe molecular-level machines has its origins in observations made by biologists and physicists, and their findings and descriptions have often been misinterpreted and misunderstood by chemists. In 2007 we formalized definitions of some common terms used in the field (e.g., “machine”, “switch”, “motor”, “ratchet”, etc.) so that chemists could use them in a manner consistent with the meanings understood by biologists and physicists who study molecular-level machines.14

The word “machine” implies a mechanical movement that accomplishes a useful task. This Review concentrates on systems where a stimulus triggers the controlled, relatively large amplitude (or directional) motion of one molecular or submolecular component relative to another that can potentially result in a net task being performed. Molecular machines can be further categorized into various classes such as “motors” and “switches” whose behavior differs significantly.14 For example, in a rotaxane-based “switch”, the change in position of a macrocycle on the thread of the rotaxane influences the system only as a function of state. Returning the components of a molecular switch to their original position undoes any work done, and so a switch cannot be used repetitively and progressively to do work. A “motor”, on the other hand, influences a system as a function of trajectory, meaning that when the components of a molecular motor return to their original positions, for example, after a 360° directional rotation, any work that has been done is not undone unless the motor is subsequently rotated by 360° in the reverse direction. This difference in behavior is significant; no “switch-based” molecular machine can be used to progressively perform work in the way that biological motors can, such as those from the kinesin, myosin, and dynein superfamilies, unless the switch is part of a larger ratchet mechanism.14

Artificial Molecular Machines

The extensive development of electronic systems and telecommunications has lead to major concerns regarding electromagnetic pollution. Motivated by environmental questions and by a wide variety of applications, the quest for materials with high efficiency to mitigate electromagnetic interferences (EMI) pollution has become a mainstream field of research. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art research in the design and characterization of polymer/carbon based composites as EMI shielding materials. After a brief introduction, in Section 1, the electromagnetic theory will be briefly discussed in Section 2 setting the foundations of the strategies to be employed to design efficient EMI shielding materials. These materials will be classified in the next section by the type of carbon fillers, involving carbon black, carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and graphene. The importance of the dispersion method into the polymer matrix (melt-blending, solution processing, etc.) on the final material properties will be discussed. The combination of carbon fillers with other constituents such as metallic nanoparticles or conductive polymers will be the topic of Section 4. The final section will address advanced complex architectures that are currently studied to improve the performances of EMI materials and, in some cases, to impart additional properties such as thermal management and mechanical resistance. In all these studies, we will discuss the efficiency of the composites/devices to absorb and/or reflect the EMI radiation.

Polymer/carbon based composites as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials

The growth in the application of electronic devices across a broad spectrum of military, industrial, commercial and consumer sectors has created a new form of pollution known as noise or radio frequency interference (RFI) or electromagnetic radiation or electromagnetic interference (EMI) that can cause interference or malfunctioning of equipment. Therefore, there is a greater need for the effective shielding of components from its adverse effects. This review surveys the shielding materials like metals, conducting plastics and conducting polymers for the control of electromagnetic radiations. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009

/pdf/emi-shielding-methods-and-materials-a-review-2g4jq2lljs.pdf

EMI shielding: Methods and materials—A review

This paper summarizes and reviews the research on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding with intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs), mainly polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPY), and their composites in various frequency ranges. ICPs are new alternative candidates for EMI shielding applications due to their lightweight, corrosion resistance, ease of processing, and tunable conductivities as compared with typical metals. More importantly, the dominant shielding characteristic of absorption other than that of reflection for metals render ICPs more promising materials in applications requiring not only high EMI shielding effectiveness but also shielding by absorption, such as in stealth technology. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Intrinsically conducting polymers for electromagnetic interference shielding

Selected area electron diffraction pattern (SADP) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements were carried out to investigate the ordered structure in CdxZn1−xTe epitaxial layers grown on (001) GaAs substrates. The SADP showed to sets of superstructure reflections with symmetrical intensities, and the corresponding high-resolution TEM image showed a doublet periodicity in the contrast of the {111} lattice planes. The results of the SADP and the TEM measurements showed the existence of a CuPt-type ordered structured in the CdxZn1−xTe epitaxial layers. This CuPt-type ordered structure had two different variants with an antiphase boundary existing between the two variants. The formation of a CuPt-type ordered structure in a CdxZn1−xTe epitaxial layer might originate from the minimization of the strain relaxation energy in the reconstructed GaAs (001) surface. A possible atomic arrangement of and a formation mechanism for the CuPt-type ordered structure in the CdxZn1−xTe epitaxial layer are presen...

Atomic arrangements and formation mechanisms of the CuPt-type ordered structure in CdxZn1−xTe epilayers grown on GaAs substrates

by simple molecular modi-fication, it makes DNA nanostructures one of the most viable biomaterials for use with current techniques. Although many developments took advantage of these characteristics, what has been lacking in DNA nanotechnology is sufficient investi-gation into specific interactions between DNA nanostructures and metal ions. Due to DNA’s poor conductivity,

Size-controllable DNA rings with copper-ion modification.

Growth and restoration of a T-tile-based 1D DNA nanotrack.

Field-Emission Characteristics of Electrochemically Synthesized Polypyrrole Nanotubes Prepared by SDC

The strain effects in and the crystal structures of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) were investigated by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The in-plane lattice constant of the InAs QDs was larger than that of the GaAs substrate, and the vertical lattice constant of the InAs QDs was smaller than that of the InAs bulk. The variation of the lattice constant for the InAs QD originated from the strain effect. A schematic diagram of a strained InAs QD based on the TEM results, indicative of the strain distribution around the QD, is presented.

/pdf/strain-effects-in-and-crystal-structures-of-self-assembled-wcphr97ell.pdf

Strain effects in and crystal structures of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots

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