Molecular Writing Through Metal Catalysed Iterative C-H Functionalisation

硅基设备是写入、存储和访问信息的黄金标准。然而，随着全球对硅的需求迅速增加，显然需要新的写入、存储和访问信息的方法。作为硅基器件的替代品，聚合物体系因其可长时间储存而不会降解、能源效率高以及具有高存储密度的潜力而引起了人们的极大兴趣。聚合物系统作为数据存储介质的发展主要是通过生物和合成系统的发展来探索的。然而，到目前为止开发的合成和生物聚合物系统的固有限制是信息在聚合物链内被线性编码，例如以ABBBAAB的形式。这意味着在所有开发的系统中，修改、编辑或移除编码信息的部分可能是具有挑战性的，因为这样做会破坏聚合链，导致存储信息的丢失。本项目旨在开发一种过渡金属催化的C-H官能化分子书写系统。通过最初合成具有结合的官能团的聚芳基轨道，定向的C-H官能化可以将第二个官能团定点结合到聚芳基轨道上。安装的第二个官能团反过来可以促进进一步的特定地点的C-H官能化。通过改变作为功能化的一部分而并入的组，并通过将数字分配给并入的功能，可以对短序列进行编码。与其中信息在聚合链中编码的聚合物系统相比，在聚芳基轨道上写入的关键区别在于在所结合的官能团中编码的信息提供了一种概念上不同的信息编码方法。这可以允许对在聚合物系统内不可能编码的信息的后续修改。该项目属于EPSRC物理科学主题研究领域。“

"Silicon-based devices are the gold standard for writing, storing and accessing information. However, with the global demand of silicon rapidly increasing it is clear that new methods of writing, storing and accessing of information are required. As an alternative to silicon-based devices, polymeric systems have garnered significant interest as they can be stored for prolonged periods without degradation, are energy efficient, and have the potential for high storage densities. The development of polymeric systems as data storage media has predominately been explored through the development of biological and synthetic systems. However, an inherent limitation of both the synthetic and biological polymeric systems developed thus far is that the information is linearly encoded within the polymer chain, for example in the form ABBBAAB. This means within all the developed systems it can be challenging to modify, edit or remove sections of the encoded information as doing so can damage the polymeric chain causing the loss of the stored information. This project looks to develop a transition metal-catalysed C-H functionalisation molecular writing system. By initially synthesising a poly-aryl track with an incorporated functional group a directed C-H functionalisation can site-specifically incorporate a second functional group onto a poly-aryl track. This second functional group installed can in turn facilitate a further site-specific C-H functionalisation. By varying the group incorporated as part of the functionalisation, and by assigning a digit to the functionality incorporated it is possible to encode short sequences. The critical distinction of writing onto a poly-aryl track with the information encoded within the functional groups incorporated, in contrast to polymeric systems in which the information is encoded within the polymeric chain promises a conceptually different approach to the encoding of information. This may allow for the subsequent modification to the information encoded not possible within polymeric systems. This project falls within the EPSRC physical sciences theme research area. "