Casting light on molecular motions: controlling optical signal outputs of mechanically interlocked molecules

Abstract

The burgeoning of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) has attracted great interest in the chemical science community. The development of synthetic methods provides more opportunities to delve into MIMs, especially the motions in response to external stimuli. In addition to the traditional analytical strategies, such as NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy, facile and efficient characterization methods are urgently needed to recognize or even “visualize” the nanoscopic motions. Here we summarize recently reported catenanes and rotaxanes capable of outputting optical signals, such as fluorescence, circularly polarized luminescence, phosphorescence, and plasmonic resonance signals, in response to their molecular motions.