Tuning Electron Transfer through Translational Motion in Molecular Shuttles

Shuttling rules! A bistable fullerene-stoppered molecular shuttle equipped with two ferrocene electron donors on the macrocycle has been prepared. A controlled positional change of the ferrocene groups along the thread results in different spatial arrangements of the electroactive units and allows the kinetics of the electron transfer and the lifetime of the charged-separated state to be modulated/fine-tuned (see picture).