Controlling sophisticated motion by molecular motors is am ajor goal on the road to future actuators and soft robotics.T aking inspiration from biological motility and mechanical functions common to artificial machines,r esponsive small molecules have been used to achieve macroscopic effects,however,translating molecular movement along length scales to precisely defined linear,t wisting and rotary motions remain particularly challenging.H ere,w ep resent the design, synthesis and functioning of liquid-crystal network (LCN) materials with intrinsic rotary motors that allow the conversion of light energy into reversible helical motion. In this responsive system the photochemical-driven molecular motor has ad ual function operating both as chiral dopant and unidirectional rotor amplifying molecular motion into ac ontrolled and reversible left-or right-handed macroscopic twisting movement. By exploiting the dynamic chirality,d irectionality of motion and shape change of as ingle motor embedded in an LC-network, complex mechanical motions including bending, walking and helical motion, in soft polymer materials are achieved which offers fascinating opportunities toward inherently photo-responsive materials.
Recent developments in artificial molecular machines have enabled precisely controlled molecular motion, which allows several distinct mechanical operations at the nanoscale. However, harnessing and amplifying molecular motion along multiple length scales to induce macroscopic motion are still major challenges and comprise an important next step toward future actuators and soft robotics. The key to addressing this challenge relies on effective integration of synthetic molecular machines in a hierarchically aligned structure so numerous individual molecular motions can be collected in a cooperative way and amplified to higher length scales and eventually lead to macroscopic motion. Here, we report the complex motion of liquid crystal networks embedded with molecular motors triggered by single-wavelength illumination. By design, both racemic and enantiomerically pure molecular motors are programmably integrated into liquid crystal networks with a defined orientation. The motors have multiple functions acting as cross-linkers, actuators, and chiral dopants inside the network. The collective rotary motion of motors resulted in multiple types of motion of the polymeric film, including bending, wavy motion, fast unidirectional movement on surfaces, and synchronized helical motion with different handedness, paving the way for the future design of responsive materials with enhanced complex functions.
Controlling sophisticated motion by molecular motors is am ajor goal on the road to future actuators and soft robotics.T aking inspiration from biological motility and mechanical functions common to artificial machines,r esponsive small molecules have been used to achieve macroscopic effects,however,translating molecular movement along length scales to precisely defined linear,t wisting and rotary motions remain particularly challenging.H ere,w ep resent the design, synthesis and functioning of liquid-crystal network (LCN) materials with intrinsic rotary motors that allow the conversion of light energy into reversible helical motion. In this responsive system the photochemical-driven molecular motor has ad ual function operating both as chiral dopant and unidirectional rotor amplifying molecular motion into ac ontrolled and reversible left-or right-handed macroscopic twisting movement. By exploiting the dynamic chirality,d irectionality of motion and shape change of as ingle motor embedded in an LC-network, complex mechanical motions including bending, walking and helical motion, in soft polymer materials are achieved which offers fascinating opportunities toward inherently photo-responsive materials.
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