Distinguished University Professor Makoto FUJITA’s Research Group Succeeds in Constructing a Spherical Molecular Structure of Dodecahedral Link
For the first time in the world, a research team led by Makoto Fujita, Distinguished Professor at Tokyo College and the Institute for Molecular Science, has succeeded in artificially constructing a spherical shell molecular structure with a dodecahedral link structure through the self-assembly of peptides and metal ions. X-ray crystallography confirmed that the structure consists of a complex tangle of 60 intersections with an outer diameter of 6.3 nanometers and has the characteristics of a truncated dodecahedron and Goldberg polyhedron. The structure has the characteristics of a faceted icosahedron and a Goldberg polyhedron. This achievement paves the way for the artificial design of virus-like structures and their application to molecular transport materials.
Read the press release(Japanese) here.
-
- Journal：Chem
- Title：An M60L60 metal–peptide capsid with a 60-crossing woven network
- Authors：Yuuki Inomata, Sota Oguma, Nao Sagara, Ami Nishijima, Yuta Saburomaru, Satoshi Yoshida, Takashi Kajitani, Koya Shimokawa, Sota Sato, Michito Yoshizawa, Makoto Fujita,* and Tomohisa Sawada*
- DOI：10.1016/j.chempr.2025.102555
