A research team led by Professor Lee Chang-yeon of the Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering published a study on the structural transformation of supramolecular catenane compounds in the world-renowned chemical journal "JACS" (2024 IF=14.5, JCR Top 7.6%). 

In this study, two or more ring-shaped molecules are connected to each other, and a kind of 'coupled' catenane structure was synthesized using a pyrene-based ruthenium metal complex.

In nitromethane solutions, it was found that the catenet structure was naturally transformed into a single rectangular structure due to aging of molecules without chemical manipulation, and theoretical calculations confirmed that catenethesis was more stable than other structures. 

This study is of great significance in suggesting a new structural conversion mechanism for the metal-organic macrocyclic system.