Patent ID: 7974123

Claim:
A synthetic molecular spring device, comprising: (a) a synthetic molecular assembly having at least one chemical unit or module including: (i) at least one atom which is a cation of an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, chromium, manganese, iron, ruthenium, osmium, cobalt, rhodium, nickel, copper, zinc, silicon, and titanium; (ii) at least one complexing group complexed to at least one of said at least one atom, wherein the complexing group is a macrocyclic compound selected from the group consisting of porphyrins, dihydroporphyrins and tetrahydroporphyrins; (iii) at least one axial ligand reversibly physicochemically paired with at least one said complexed atom via corresponding atom-axial ligand pairs, wherein said axial ligand is selected from the group consisting of imidazole, pyridine, 4-tert-butyl pyridine, 3-fluoropyridine, 1-methylimidazole, 4-picoline, 4-aminopyridine, piperidine and 4,4′-bipyridine; and (iv) at least one elastic molecular linker having a body and having two ends with at least one said end chemically bonded to another said component of said synthetic molecular assembly, wherein said elastic molecular linker is selected from the group consisting of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, substituted phenyls, alcohols, ethers, phenyleneethynylenes, 1,4-substituted bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes and diethers; and (b) an activating mechanism operatively directed to at least one predetermined said atom-axial ligand pair, wherein following said activating mechanism sending an activating signal to said at least one predetermined atom-axial ligand pair for physicochemically modifying said at least one predetermined atom-axial ligand pair, there is activating at least one cycle of spring-type elastic reversible transitions between contracted and expanded linear conformational states, or, between said expanded and said contracted linear conformational states, of said at least one elastic molecular linker.