近来,科学家设计合成了系列分子水平的陀螺。类似于儿童玩具陀螺仪,这种分子陀螺由一个转子、一个定子框架和连接定子和转子的轴组成。定子框架通过自身的刚性结构为中心转子的转动提供足够的内在自由度,得以对内部的转子实施保护,并使得分子陀螺成为一个理想的分子转子。当转子上有偶极矩时,则可能在外来电、磁、光的刺激下进行定向转动,成为分子马达。化学家们通过X射线晶体衍射技术、动态核磁技术、理论计算化学、热力学分析等方法表征了分子陀螺的各种特征,并积极探索其潜在的应用价值。本文着重介绍分子陀螺以及超分子陀螺的发展历史和研究进展。
Molecular gyroscopes that can perform a rotor function are experiencing increasing attention,particularly in the field of mechanical molecular devices.Scientists design and synthesize several types of molecular gyroscopes which consist of a rotator with a spinning axis and a stator framework,where a rotator is encased and protected by a stator with a frictionless environment.It is anticipated that rotators with electric dipole moments can rotate unidirectionally under the influence of electric,magnetic,and optical stimuli.A brief history of molecular turnstiles,molecular gyroscopes,supramolecular gyroscopes,and their applications is followed by a summary of properties which can characterized by X-ray diffraction,variable-temperature NMR,theoretical and computational chemistry,and thermal analyses,etc.