KOSEN 한인과학기술자네트워크

◆ How to build "moving" molecules?

Controlling the motion of molecular objects is of utmost importance in the state-of-the-art supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience. Molecular machines are exquisitely designed to show desired mechanical movement in response to external stimuli, and various kinds of synthetic molecular machines with unique motions have been experimentally demonstrated. However, design of nanosized machines that can fulfill “useful tasks” in practical setting, such as substrate-selective catalysis, cargo transport, drug delivery, and automated molecular assembly, still remains a formidable challenge. Our group is exploiting a variety of organic chemical reactions and spectroscopic tools to develop next-generation molecular machines that can show sophisticated movements in response to multiple types of energy inputs. We believe that nanosized robots traveling through the bloodstream and targeting pathogens are no longer science fiction!

 

◆ How to build molecules with "specific shapes"?

Just like in macroscopic world, shape of nanosized molecules is one of the most crucial determinants of their functions. Proteins, for example, fold into characteristic three-dimensional tertiary (or quaternary) structures spontaneously or by the help of other proteins. Through this folding process, proteins can thereby adopt energetically stable as well as biologically active forms. Our group's major interest is to design and synthesize artificial “foldamers” that are synthetically prepared molecules capable of mimicking folding process and adopting paricular 3D shapes. We are exploring the realm of non-natural molecules with unusual topologies and conformations, anticipating novel physicochemical properties derived from their own shapes.