Supramolecular Photochemistry: Faraday Discussion

Themes Natural and artificial photosynthesis New information derived from the study of natural systems will be discussed and used to aid design of artificial photosynthetic systems. Attention will be given to both synthetic light-harvesting antennae and molecular devices capable of efficacious charge-separation. Light-activated molecular machines and logic gates The study of multi-component systems where illumination induces controlled mechanical movements (machines) and/or where light can be exploited as input/output information. The relevance to protein folding should not be missed. Self-organization of photo-active nanostructures Identifying new and improved ways to assemble supramolecular entities with a photo-active unit, such as liquid crystals, organo-gels, dendrimers, etc. Although synthesis plays a crucial role in the development of such species, the discussion will deal with the synergistic features of the actual assembly. Luminescence sensing and imaging The in-situ detection of changes in the local topology and in the concentration of selected substrates, including biologically relevant species.