A. Prasanna de Silva from Queen's University, Belfast, and colleagues from Belfast and Bangkok implemented a set of ion-driven molecular logic gates in turn by arranging the association between easily available lumophores and receptors in detergent micelles.

Molecular logic uses concepts from computer technology for molecular science. 'Some of the operations of silicon computing are being emulated by molecules' explains de Silva. 

Previously, each molecular logic gate had to be synthesised. de Silva has now shown that molecular logic gates can be self-assembled from components that are simply mixed. The molecular logic type, known as the configuration, can be altered simply by adding another component. This simple was of reconfiguring increases the flexibility of molecular logic designs as more logic operations become accessible from a small set of components.

'Of course, this self-assembly method is currently limited to rather modest switching ratios between the 'on' and 'off' signals but this should be improved in time,' explains de Silva. 

He hopes that the 'the field of molecular logic and computation will receive more and more contributions from people with various backgrounds.' In particular, 'the field of molecular logic and computation needs to gain credibility especially in the eyes of engineers. The solutions of computational problems in small spaces with molecular systems should help to bridge this credibility gap,' says de Silva.

Kathryn Sear