Nanomechanical Switches for ON-OFF Catalysis and Interswitch Communication

耦合分子开关在我们生活的几乎所有方面都起着重要的作用。例如，生物开关以化学方式相互交流，以详细调节生命的所有基本过程。虽然分子开关，例如基于轮烷/链烷的滑动开关（=穿梭机），已经取得了惊人的成功，但在它们之间建立定向化学通讯是一个未知领域。作为替代方案，我们打算根据我们研究的最新进展，进一步开发通过化学输入和输出信号操作的三角形纳米开关家族。重点将放在催化活性系统中的信号传导和实现各种监管方案：从通信和催化到由两个纳米开关管理的催化反应网络和催化中的反馈控制。因此，这项工作不仅可以提高我们对纳米尺度上化学通讯的理解，而且还可以为系统化学开辟新的前景;例如，如何通过化学交换过程将基于分子的门和存储单元以及人工突触互连起来。

Coupled molecular switching plays an important role in almost all aspects of our existence. For instance, biological switches intercommunicate chemically to regulate in detail all processes that are elementary for life. Although, molecular switches, for example sliding switches (= shuttles) on the basis of rotaxanes/catenanes, have celebrated startling success, establishing a directed chemical communication among them is a terra incognita. As an alternative we intend, based on latest developments from our research, to further develop the family of triangular nanoswitches that operate via chemical input and output signals. The focus will be on signaling in catalytically active systems and on enabling a variety of regulatory scenarios: from communication and catalysis to catalytic reaction networks administrated by two nanoswitches and to feedback control in catalysis. This work should thus not only improve our understanding of chemical communication on the nanoscale, but it may equally open new vistas for systems chemistry; for example, how can one interconnect molecule-based gates and storage units as well as artificial synapses via chemical exchange processes.