Shininga light on molecular muscles

摘要

Australian researchers have developed a novel molecular muscle driven by light. Biological machines, such as muscles, are commonly found in nature and are essential to many proeesses in the human body, Taking this as their inspiration, a team led by Christopher Easton at the University of Adelaide, Australia, developed a light-driven molecular muscle based on srilbene and α-cyclodextrin.rnα-Cyclodextrin is a maerocyclic compound which forms host-guest complexes with hydrophobic guests of an appropriate size to be incorporated into α-cyclodextrin's central cavity, trans-Stilbenes can act as guests to α-cyclodextrin, but the cis isomer cannot as it is much less compact.