Chemists tie a knot using only 54 atoms

A trio of chemists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, working with a colleague from the University of Western Ontario, has tied the smallest knot ever, using just 54 atoms. In their ...

Molecular knots, left and right: How molecules form knots

Helical molecules, similarly to a corkscrew, have a spiral shape that can be either left- or right-turning. Such "chiral molecules" can collectively organize (assemble) into large left- or right-handed twisted structures. ...

Team discovers thousands of new transformable knots

Knots are used in all sorts of ways, every day. They ensure safety both indoors and for outdoor activities such as boating or sailing, are used as surgical sutures, as decorations, and they can even be found at nanoscales ...

The effects of tightening a molecular knot

A study conducted by Anne-Sophie Duwez and Damien Sluysmans from the NANOCHEM group at the University of Liège (Belgium) has made it possible to decode the mechanical response of small-molecule synthetic overhand knots by ...

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Knot

A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load". Knots have been the subject of interest for their ancient origins, their common uses, and the area of mathematics known as knot theory.

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