Starting in September with funding awarded by RSC we'll be synthesizing catenanes, two mechanically interlocked macrocycles, following a template-directed synthesis to explore their chiroptical properties.
Catenanes are exciting molecules that exploit the mechanical bond. The two macrocycle molecules are not connected by a covalent bond but instead interlocked like two links in a chain. This arrangement gives rise to a new type of chirality, called topological chirality. Chiral molecules are essential for advanced applications in spintronics and photonics. Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has recently gathered attention, not only as a manner to interrogate the chiral environment of molecules, but also in applications like display technologies (3D screens) or biosensing and bio-imaging - a powerful tool that allows the study of real-time biological processes in vivo.
Results from this project will open-up future avenues of research in the field of CPL materials and their application in healthcare technologies.
