Recently, Professor Bao Chunyan and Professor Qu Dahui from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of ECUST cooperated to further realized gated ion transport on the basis of high efficiency and ion selectivity by introducing azobenzene photoisomerization group to realize reversible ON/OFF ion transport across the membrane through optically controlling rotaxane shuttling. The related research article entitled “A Light-Operated Molecular Cable Car for Gated Ion Transport” was published in Angew and te Chemie International Edition. 

The article was completed by doctoral candidate Wang Chenxi and master candidate Wang Shunkang of Feringa Nobel Prize Scientists Joint Research Center  ECUST under the joint guidance of Professor Bao Chunyan and Professor Qu Dahui. The research work also received the strong support and careful guidance from Academician Tian He and Professor Zhu Linyong and was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Major Science and Technology Projects and the “111” Talents Introduction Program.