Liu Qing Yu, Bu Zhen Qi, Quan Min Xia, Wu Ying, Ding Xuezhi, Xia Li Qiu, Lu Jiao Yang, Huang Wei Tao
State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, PR China.
Hunan Key Laboratory of the Research and Development of Novel Pharmaceutical Preparations, Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, 410219, PR China.
Biosens Bioelectron. 2022 Aug 1;209:114260. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114260. Epub 2022 Apr 9.
Inspired by information processing and communication in nature based on molecular recognition and structural diversity, ongoing efforts aim to development of artificial molecular or nano-systems for sensing, logic computing, and even data storage and safety. However, due to their preparation/functionalization shortcomings (laborious and time-consuming), poor flexibility and compatibility, and limited paradigm, it is still a big challenge whether simple molecules can be used to achieve comprehensive and universal applications from sensing to information storage and protection. Herein, we for the first time demonstrated a molecular paradigm-computer-like "basic input output system (BIOS)" which can realize "plug-and-play" sensing, information encoding, molecular cryptography, and steganography based on a simple artificial molecule (p-nitrophenol, PNP). Based on its molecular recognition and inherent chemical identities, PNP was utilized for colorimetric detection of multiple metal ions (Hg, Fe, Al, Cr) and distinguishing their valence (like Cr/Cr, Fe/Fe). Interestingly, PNP can achieve the "plug-and-play" fluorescent expansion of detection channels by directly mixing with fluorescent molecules, indicating that PNP molecule can be served as a molecular BIOS with flexibility and compatibility. Impressively, the selectivity embedded in PNP-based BIOS sensing system can be developed as molecular-level double cryptographic steganography to encode, encrypt and hide specific information (like the content of classical literature). This research not only provides a basic idea for building a molecular paradigm with "plug-and-play" flexibility and compatibility, but also provides ideas for the use of molecular sensing and informatization to open up the digitalization of the molecular world.
受基于分子识别和结构多样性的自然信息处理与通信的启发，目前人们正在努力开发用于传感、逻辑计算乃至数据存储与安全的人工分子或纳米系统。然而，由于它们在制备/功能化方面存在缺点（费力且耗时）、灵活性和兼容性差以及模式有限，简单分子能否用于实现从传感到信息存储与保护的全面通用应用仍是一个巨大挑战。在此，我们首次展示了一种类似分子范式计算机的“基本输入输出系统（BIOS）”，它可以基于一种简单的人工分子（对硝基苯酚，PNP）实现“即插即用”的传感、信息编码、分子密码学和隐写术。基于其分子识别和固有的化学特性，PNP被用于比色检测多种金属离子（Hg、Fe、Al、Cr）并区分它们的价态（如Cr³⁺/Cr²⁺、Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺）。有趣的是，PNP通过与荧光分子直接混合可实现检测通道的“即插即用”荧光扩展，这表明PNP分子可作为具有灵活性和兼容性的分子BIOS。令人印象深刻的是，基于PNP的BIOS传感系统中所固有的选择性可发展为分子级双密码隐写术，以编码、加密和隐藏特定信息（如古典文学的内容）。这项研究不仅为构建具有“即插即用”灵活性和兼容性的分子范式提供了基本思路，也为利用分子传感和信息化开启分子世界的数字化提供了思路。
