Press Release

October, 2002
 

Perspectives for Nanotechnology:

Chemistry on Sphere Surfaces and with Nanoporous Clusters (Nanosponges), as well as Irritability of a Nano Object

Giant molecular spheres can be constructed with numerous nanoscaled pores and behave just like nanosponges. This is reported by the Bielefeld scientists Achim Müller et al. in a pioneering publication which has appeared in the first October issue of Angewandte Chemie on October 4th, 2002. The pores have a well-defined size and can accommodate numerous guests in accordance with a kind of multi-host function. In case of only one (!) host-guest interaction, it would represent a problem of so-called supramolecular chemistry. But the contribution published by the Bielefeld scientists initiates a type of super-supramolecular chemistry because of the large number of pores (20), or host functions. Particularly remarkable is that the size of pores can be varied specifically for the type of guests, and that closing of the pores by occupation with guests, effects a change in the order of the water molecules encapsulated. The result is a novel well-ordered water aggregate having 100 molecules which probably represents a snapshot from liquid water whose structure is still unknown. The process represents a modelling of cell response to an extra-cellular signal.

The cover picture of the October issue of Angewandte Chemie (containing the contribution by Achim Müller, Erich Krickemeyer, Hartmut Bögge, Marc Schmidtmann, Soumyajit Roy and Alois Berkle: Changeable Pore Sizes Allowing Effective and Specific Recognition by a Molybdenum-Oxide Based 'Nanosponge': En Route to Sphere Surface and Nanoporous Cluster Chemistry) shows the hierarchical order of the encapsulated water molecules showing two Platonic and one Archimedean solids besides the authorities.

Keywords: sphere-surface, nanoporous-cluster, and super-supramolecular

chemistry; modeling of cell response, organic-inorganic hybrids, phase transition in a nanoscaled capsule as response to external stimuli, an encapsulated giant water cluster as possible snapshot of liquid water.

For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Achim Müller, der Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Chemie , Telephone 0049 521 106 6153 and 0049 5231 21706 and 0049 4651 881561.