Foldamers are molecules which adopt persistent conformations in solution, and have high control over the spatial positioning of their components. This control allows molecular function, such as, for example, in biological molecules such as proteins.
We have developed synthetic foldamers with metal ions integrated into the backbone, allowing us to generate multi-component sequences that fold into controlled conformations. We have projects in developing systems from them towards the following goals:
1. Photophysical applications: arranging photophysically active groups close in space for FRET, donor-acceptor, or upconversion events.
2. The use of chiral foldamers for binding of chiral guests (enantiomeric separation) or binding achiral dyes for polarized emission.
3. Binding and transport of anions.