Abstract
Molecular nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field, and tremendous progress has been made in developing synthetic molecular machines. One long-sought after nanotechnology is systems able to achieve the assembly-line like production of molecules. Here we report the discovery of a rudimentary synthetic molecular assembler that produces polymers. The molecular assembler is a supramolecular aggregate of bifunctional surfactants produced by the reaction of two phase-separated reactants. Initially self-reproduction of the bifunctional surfactants is observed, but once it reaches a critical concentration the assembler starts to produce polymers instead of supramolecular aggregates. The polymer size can be controlled by adjusting temperature, reaction time, or introducing a capping agent. There has been considerable debate about molecular assemblers in the context of nanotechnology, our demonstration that primitive assemblers may arise from simple phase separated reactants may provide a new direction for the design of functional supramolecular systems.
Highlights
Molecular nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field, and tremendous progress has been made in developing synthetic molecular machines
Popularity later grew thanks to Eric Drexler, who introduced the concept of a molecular assembler to nanotechnology; a device able to guide chemical reactions by positioning reactive molecules with atomic precision (Note that the term assembler is used in computer language, referring to a program that translates computer language into machine code)[22]
The exact molecular assembler envisioned by Eric Drexler will remain elusive to chemists, man-made analogs that approximate the concept have been recently devised[18,42]
Summary
Molecular nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field, and tremendous progress has been made in developing synthetic molecular machines. In order to produce substantial amounts of product, Drexler envisioned that the molecular assembler should be able to self-replicate. In the system’s lifecycle, the reaction between two (phase-separated) reagents produces surfactants that self-assemble into functional supramolecular aggregates; the assembler. Experiments with the assembler were performed for various temperatures, pH, reactant concentrations, and stirring rates.
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