Simplicity in the Design, Operation, and Applications of Mechanically Interlocked Molecular Machines

Mechanically interlocked molecules are perhaps best known as components of molecular machines, a view further reinforced by the Nobel Prize in 2016 to Stoddart and Sauvage. Despite amazing progress since these pioneers of the field reported the first examples of molecular shuttles, genuine applications of interlocked molecular machines remain elusive, and many barriers remain to be overcome before such molecular devices make the transition from impressive prototypes on the laboratory bench to useful products. Here, we discuss simplicity as a design principle that could be applied in the development of the next generation of molecular machines with a view to moving toward real-world applications of these intriguing systems in the longer term.