Home > Press > Dartmouth researchers create 'green' process to reduce molecular switching waste
 |
| This is Ivan Aprahamian, an associate professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College.
Credit: Dartmouth College |
Abstract:
Dartmouth researchers have found a solution using visible light to reduce waste produced in chemically activated molecular switches, opening the way for industrial applications of nanotechnology ranging from anti-cancer drug delivery to LCD displays and molecular motors.
Dartmouth researchers create 'green' process to reduce molecular switching waste
Hanover, NH | Posted on December 15th, 2014Chemically activated molecular switches are molecules that can shift controllably between two stable states and that can be reversibly switched -- like a light switch -- to turn different functions "on" and "off." For example, light-activated switches can fine-tune anti-cancer drugs, so they target only cancer cells and not healthy ones, thereby eliminating the side effects of chemotherapy.
But such switches typically generate waste and side products that are problematic. One way of making these processes cleaner is by using light energy, similar to how photosynthesis operates in nature. In their experiments, the researchers show that a merocyanine-based photoacid derivative can effectively be used in a switching process that is fast, efficient and forms no wastes.
"We address a bottleneck that's been hampering the field for decades -- what to do with the accumulated salts and side products when activating such switches," says co-author Ivan Aprahamian, an associate professor of chemistry. "Acids, bases and other compounds need to be constantly added to the mix to make sure the system can be switched, but within a few cycles there is so much waste that it interferes with the switching process. We found a neat solution by coupling an efficient photoacid to our chemically activated hydrazone switch. We showed the system can be efficiently modulated more than 100 times with no accumulation of waste or degradation. We are using visible light to accomplish this, so in reality we are converting light energy into a chemical output, similar to what happens in photosynthesis. You can look at this as a 'green' process that closes the loop in a nanotech-related process, and it will reduce waste in future industrial applications of molecular switches."
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
John Cramer
603-646-9130
Associate Professor
Ivan Aprahamian
is available to comment at:
Copyright © Dartmouth College
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related Links |
The study appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Decoding hydrogen‑bond network of electrolyte for cryogenic durable aqueous zinc‑ion batteries January 30th, 2026
COF scaffold membrane with gate‑lane nanostructure for efficient Li+/Mg2+ separation January 30th, 2026
Display technology/LEDs/SS Lighting/OLEDs
Spinel-type sulfide semiconductors to operate the next-generation LEDs and solar cells For solar-cell absorbers and green-LED source October 3rd, 2025
Efficient and stable hybrid perovskite-organic light-emitting diodes with external quantum efficiency exceeding 40 per cent July 5th, 2024
Molecular Machines
First electric nanomotor made from DNA material: Synthetic rotary motors at the nanoscale perform mechanical work July 22nd, 2022
Nanotech scientists create world's smallest origami bird March 17th, 2021
Giant nanomachine aids the immune system: Theoretical chemistry August 28th, 2020
Molecular Nanotechnology
Quantum pumping in molecular junctions August 16th, 2024
Scientists push the boundaries of manipulating light at the submicroscopic level March 3rd, 2023
First electric nanomotor made from DNA material: Synthetic rotary motors at the nanoscale perform mechanical work July 22nd, 2022
Discoveries
From sensors to smart systems: the rise of AI-driven photonic noses January 30th, 2026
Decoding hydrogen‑bond network of electrolyte for cryogenic durable aqueous zinc‑ion batteries January 30th, 2026
COF scaffold membrane with gate‑lane nanostructure for efficient Li+/Mg2+ separation January 30th, 2026
Announcements
Decoding hydrogen‑bond network of electrolyte for cryogenic durable aqueous zinc‑ion batteries January 30th, 2026
COF scaffold membrane with gate‑lane nanostructure for efficient Li+/Mg2+ separation January 30th, 2026
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Metasurfaces smooth light to boost magnetic sensing precision January 30th, 2026
COF scaffold membrane with gate‑lane nanostructure for efficient Li+/Mg2+ separation January 30th, 2026
Industrial
Tiny nanosheets, big leap: A new sensor detects ethanol at ultra-low levels January 30th, 2026
Quantum interference in molecule-surface collisions February 28th, 2025
Boron nitride nanotube fibers get real: Rice lab creates first heat-tolerant, stable fibers from wet-spinning process June 24th, 2022
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||