Molecular machine enables polyrotaxane synthesis with unprecedented precision

An image showing the structure of a rotaxane

Source: © Science Photo Library

Artificial pumps can add up to 10 molecular rings onto polymer dumbbells in a controlled manner

A synthetic molecular machine that can pump rings from solution onto molecular strings to produce polyrotaxanes with a precise numbers of rings has been created. The approach enables a degree of control that simply wasn’t possible before, opening the way to new materials for energy and data storage.