Dynamically Adaptive Metal-organic Nanopores

我们建议准备和研究一类新的合成离子通道的基础上动态的金属-有机配合物，具有孔状的中央通道，将允许跨脂质双层的基板运输。这些配合物是通过八面体金属离子模板周围的简单的有机构件的缩合而获得的。这些复合物的模块化性质和它们的亚胺键的动态性质将允许我们调整组装体以赋予它们不同的物理性质，同时保留它们的整体结构。通过调谐，我们将确定可以插入脂质双层的复合物的关键特征。这个项目建立在初步的调查，已经表明，庚基链轴承衍生物允许氯离子穿过膜，提供了一个出发点，为我们的investigation.In其他关键的先例工作，我们建立了，这是可能的诱导重组的复杂到完全不同的结构中存在不同的模板阴离子。我们将研究如何利用这种现象作为一种方法，通过可逆地触发重组，形成不具有中央通道的复合物，从而抑制离子转运，控制跨膜通量。这些可调的门控离子通道的开发将为新的工业过程铺平道路，这些工业过程由高价值化合物与不纯混合物的有效分离驱动，以及涉及囊泡反应室之间的中间物质的选择性门控的新化学转化。在未来，我们的技术也可能促进新的治疗那些谁遭受形式的通道病。

We propose to prepare and study a new class of synthetic ion channels based on dynamic metal-organic complexes that possess a pore-like central channel that will allow for substrate transport across a lipid bilayer. These complexes are obtained through the condensation of simple organic building blocks around octahedral metal ion templates. The modular nature of these complexes and the dynamic nature of their imine bonds will allow us to tune the assemblies to confer different physical properties upon them, while retaining their overall structures. Through tuning we will identify the key characteristics of complexes that can be inserted into lipid bilayers. This project builds upon preliminary investigations that have shown that heptyl-chain-bearing derivatives allowed chloride ions to pass across a membrane, providing a point of departure for our investigations.In other key precedent work we established that it is possible to induce reconstitution of the complexes into entirely different structures in the presence of different templating anions. We will investigate ways to exploit this phenomenon as an approach to controlling flux across a membrane by reversibly triggering reconstitution to form complexes that do not possess central channels, thus inhibiting ion transport. Development of these tuneable, gating ion channels will pave the way to new industrial processes that are driven by the effective separation of high value compounds from impure mixtures, and new chemical transformations involving the selective gating of intermediate species between vesicular reaction chambers. In future, our technologies may also facilitate new treatments for those who suffer from forms of channelopathy.