Multi-Functional Nanoscale Platforms: Bridging the Gap between Molecular and Macroscopic Worlds

分子的控制和操纵是纳米科学的基本挑战之一。在这个项目中，我们打算建立一个纳米级的桥梁，分子世界，这将使研究和制造的分子与原子精度。目标是构建基于纳米管的可寻址、多功能纳米平台（Multi-Functional Nanotubes，MFNT），能够控制分子的物理化学状态，并利用它们的性质用于实际应用。分子在纳米管中的限制对客体分子的位置、取向、旋转和平移运动有着深远的影响。然而，在大多数情况下，纳米管扮演被动容器的角色，仅仅由于有限的可用空间而影响分子行为，从而导致静态分子结构。在这个项目中，我们将利用碳，TiO 2和BN纳米管的物理（电导率和热导率，或光学透明度）和化学（表面电荷和功能）特性来开发响应外部刺激（热，光，电势或pH）的MFNT平台。MFNT系统将作为外部宏观刺激的管道，将它们引导到单个分子的水平。我们的方法将能够解决的光，电和磁状态的客人分子内MFNT，这将是衡量光谱和电子显微镜测量。分子的化学反应性的控制是特别重要的，因为新的，以前未知的化学变化引发的内部MFNTs可能导致分子材料具有独特的结构和性能，这是无法通过任何现有的方法。这个雄心勃勃的跨学科项目，在物理，化学和材料科学的边界发展，有可能改变我们制造和研究分子的方式，并可能为未来技术提供革命性的应用。

The control and manipulation of molecules is one of the fundamental challenges of Nanoscience. In this project we intend to build a nanoscale bridge to the molecular world that would enable the study and fabrication of molecules with atomic precision. The aim is to construct addressable, multi-functional nanoscale platforms based on nanotubes (Multi-Functional Nanotubes, MFNT) that are able to control the physiochemical states of molecules and harness their properties for practical applications.The confinement of molecules inside nanotubes is known to have profound effects on the positions, orientations, and rotational and translation motions of guest-molecules. However, in most cases nanotubes play the role of a passive container influencing molecular behaviour simply due to the restricted space available, thus leading to static molecular architectures. In this project, we will exploit physical (electrical and thermal conductivity, or optical transparency) and chemical (surface charge and functionality) properties of carbon, TiO2 and BN nanotubes to develop MFNT platforms responsive to external stimuli (heat, light, electric potential, or pH). The MFNT system will serve as a conduit for external macroscopic stimuli, channelling them to the level of individual molecules. Our approach will enable the addressing of optical, electrical and magnetic states of guest-molecules entrapped within MFNT, which will be gauged by spectroscopy and electron microscopy measurement. The control of chemical reactivity of molecules is particularly important as new, previously unknown chemical transformations triggered inside MFNTs may lead to molecular materials with unique structures and properties that are not accessible by any existing approaches.This ambitious interdisciplinary project, developing at the boundary of physics, chemistry, and materials science, has the potential to change the way we make and study molecules and could provide revolutionary applications for future technologies.