The research activity deals with the modeling, making and measuring of new molecular and supramolecular based architectures:
1. Devise and characterize supramolecular species in which some molecular components can be moved with respect to others in response to suitable external stimulation. Devices of this kind are referred to as molecular machines. The stimuli employed to make such machines work are of chemical, electrochemical, and photochemical nature.
2. Devise and investigate molecular and supramolecular systems capable of delivering output signals in response to specific input signals, in order to mimick the binary logic functions performed in electronic circuits.
3. Design and realize supramolecular species that can collect, transmit, store and process light signals. Devices of this type are, e.g., molecular antennas, wires, plug-socket and extension systems, charge-separation devices, multistate-multifunctional species. Such studies are of crucial importance in view of the construction of devices for the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy, as well as ultraminiaturized devices for information processing (chemical computers).
