Manipulating excited-state dynamics through macrocycle positioning in a rotaxane for sensitive and discriminative methanol sensing

Key Points

• This research aims to explore how controlling the positioning of macrocycles in rotaxanes affects their excited-state dynamics and methanol sensing capabilities.
• Developed three different rotaxanes with varying macrocycle positions.
• Evaluated photophysical properties to understand excited-state dynamics.
• Assessed the sensitivity and discriminative ability of these rotaxanes for methanol detection.
• Rotaxanes with optimized macrocycle positioning showed a significantly higher response rate to methanol compared to others (p<0.01).
• The study found improved molecular recognition, enabling better differentiation between methanol and similar substances.
• Excited-state dynamics were successfully manipulated, leading to an enhanced detection capability.