An efficient artificial molecular pump

Despite the fact that artificial molecular machines are on the rise, there is a long way to go to eventually fill the yawning gap that exists between biological and man-made machines in terms of both their mechanisms of action and efficiencies of operation. Herein, we describe our recent efforts directed towards the development of a second-generation (more efficient) artificial molecular pump a wholly synthetic compound, which operates to compartmentalise highly charged rings in a high-energy state on an oligomethylene chain. The optimized artificial molecular pump operates rapidly, thanks to well-tuned noncovalent bonding interactions, paving the way to address enthalpically and entropically demanding polymers that would be difficult to obtain with the available repertoire of synthetic methods. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.