molecular switches
Tiny chemical gates
Molecular switches are molecules that can reversibly shift between two or more stable states in response to external stimuli—light, heat, pH changes, or chemical signals.
Each state has distinct properties, allowing the molecule to function like an on-off switch at the nanoscale.
They appear in biological systems (proteins that change shape to activate cellular processes) and synthetic chemistry, where researchers design them for drug delivery, data storage, and molecular machines.
The molecular switch flips when exposed to UV light.
- chemical reactionMolecular bond rearrangement process
- hydrogen bondElectronegativity-based intermolecular attraction
- covalent bondShared-electron atomic link
- redox reactionPaired electron transfer process
- protein foldingChain becoming functional structure
biosensors · electric field · controlled release · trigger · logic gate · fluorescent · reversible · smart materials · receptor · cascade · memory storage · enzyme · gate · magnetic field · flip · toggle · isomerization · docking
- nanotechnologynanoparticles, carbon nanotube, nanobots, carbon nanotubes, nanorobots
- Nanodevicesnanobots, nanorobots, nanosensors, nanoprobes
- Nanoelectronicsnanoelectronics, nanowires, carbon nanotubes, nanofabrication, self-assembly
- photochromicstransition lenses
- photoreactionsphotolysis, photoreduction, photocatalysis, photodegradation, photoionization
- supramoleculeshost-guest chemistry, self-assembly, encapsulation, host-guest, lariats