Designing intelligent molecules and smart nanomaterials
as molecular
machines is becoming increasingly important in the nanoscience fields.
Herein, we report a nanodot actuator with changeable fluorescence
by π–π stacking force based on a four-armed foldable
phthalocyanine molecule. The assembled nanodot possessed a three-dimensional
molecular space structure and multiple supramolecular interactions.
The arms of the nanodot could fold and open intelligently in response
to environmental molecular stimuli such as natural plant mimosa, which
could lead to multiple variable fluorescence emissions. The nanodot
was highly sensitive to the biomolecule thyroxine at the molecular
level. The accurate molecular recognition and the changeable fluorescence
conversion of the nanodot were attributed to multiple supramolecular
interactions, including photoinduced electron transfer (PET), intramolecular
fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and π–π
stacking of the nanodots, resulting in an intelligent “nanodot
machine with folding arms”. The self-assembled nanodot actuators
with changeable fluorescence have potential applications in advanced
intelligent material fields.