An aqueous artificial molecular pump

This work presents an artificial molecular pump designed for efficient operation in water, advancing the integration of synthetic molecular machines into biologically relevant environments. The pump function, demonstrated through the formation of [2]- and [3]rotaxanes, exhibits enhanced efficiency and faster kinetics compared with analogous systems in organic solvents. These improvements stem from radical-radical interactions amplified by water due to its high polarity, emphasizing the solvent’s role in molecular machine performance. The findings underscore the ability of water to strengthen supramolecular interactions essential for pump operation, providing a framework for designing next-generation molecular machines capable of functioning under more biochemically relevant conditions.