Giant tree molecule made out of 45 rotaxanes switches size on demand
By 
Katrina Krämer2019-09-09T14:30:00
Mechanically interlocked molecules give dendrimer the ability to expand and contract
The first switchable dendrimer, which can expand on demand by almost 40%, has been made by researchers in China and the Czech Republic. 45 rotaxane units – rings that thread around the tree-shaped molecule’s branches – are responsible for the expanding and contracting motion.