Synthetic Ion Channels Formed By Self-Assembly of Crown Ethers

Ion channels are present in cell membranes and permit the transport of ions across from the cell interior to the cell exterior (or vice versa), and hence allow chemical and electrical communication between the two. Because of their importance, effort has been placed on the search for synthetic ion channels with which laboratory experiments can be conducted and closely controlled, in order to learn more about this critical phenomenon outside of the human body.Molecular self-assembly can provide a route towards ion channels in solution - specially-designed molecules that preferentially interact with each other rather than the solvent in which they are immersed, and form aggregates and superstructures. One such type of molecule is considered in this work, with a view to understanding more fully the interactions and aggregates formed in solution, which are to date poorly described.