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Smart Molecule Research

04.02.2013

Mental abilities are not limited to humans and animals. Scientists also talk about "smart" molecules that directly respond to external stimuli by changing their shape. Biophysicists from the Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM) research association of the Universities of Munich have demonstrated this process for the first time on a single molecule.

In the future, "smart" molecules can work as nanoswitches, reacting to changes in states, such as cold-hot, light-dark, changes in salt concentration, etc. Under given conditions, a specially selected molecule will change shape, giving a clear, unambiguous signal. Molecules with such properties can be found in various groups of elements, primarily among proteins and artificial polymers.

But before using "smart" molecules in practice, it is worth studying the properties of such compounds. Dr. Michael Nash from the group of prof. Hermann Gaub was the first to successfully carry out a reaction in which a change in the state of a molecule was visible. To do this, Dr. Nash and his colleagues placed their own artificial polymer on a gold surface using a scanning atomic force microscope. One end of the polymer was attached to the surface, the other end was attached to the microscope needle. When scientists increased the salt content in the substance surrounding the molecule, it began to gradually shrink.

"In a concentrated salt solution, the molecule shrank," says Dr. Nash. "When the concentration decreased, the molecule returned to its original size. In this study, for the first time, we were able to observe both processes in a single polymer molecule." Nanoswitches based on such molecules can be used in biosensors, drugs, chromatography, and many other areas.

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