Artificial molecular motors

Abstract

Motor proteins are nature's solution for directing movement at the molecular level. The field of artificial molecular motors takes inspiration from these tiny but powerful machines. Although directional motion on the nanoscale performed by synthetic molecular machines is a relatively new development, significant advances have been made. In this review an overview is given of the principal designs of artificial molecular motors and their modes of operation. Although synthetic molecular motors have also found widespread application as (multistate) switches, we focus on the control of directional movement, both at the molecular scale and at larger magnitudes. We identify some key challenges remaining in the field.

Mechanically Interlocked Molecules (MIMs)—Molecular Shuttles, Switches, and Machines (Nobel Lecture)

“…Nonetheless,i tis ac hallenge that the chemistry community has embraced increasingly during the past two decades with much of the teaching of the fundamental theory coming from the physics community,and, in particular, one very prominent physicist from the University of Maine,n amely Dean Astumian [45][46][47][48] with whom we have collaborated as well as published several reviews [49][50][51] that stand alongside acrop [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69] that can be traced back for at least two decades from the present day.I nm yN obel Lecture,Ichose to highlight the progress [50,51] we have made in recent times on the design and synthesis of artificial molecular pumps,based on the building blocks that found their origins almost 40 years ago in the ICI Corporate Laboratory and were used by us [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] to put the mechanical bond on afirm footing before introducing [28] them into molecular switches in the first instance.…”

Light‐Gated Rotation in a Molecular Motor Functionalized with a Dithienylethene Switch

“…Inspired by the wealth of molecular machines found in nature, which drive and regulate a wide range of processes such as muscle contraction and ATP synthesis, a large collection of synthetic molecular machines has been developed over the last decades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Prominent examples of such artificial machines include a molecular elevator,9 a molecular brake,10 a nanocar,11 a molecular walker,12 and a synthesizer,13 which are all powered by either chemical fuel, redox processes, or light.…”

“…Prominent examples of such artificial machines include a molecular elevator,9 a molecular brake,10 a nanocar,11 a molecular walker,12 and a synthesizer,13 which are all powered by either chemical fuel, redox processes, or light. The use of light as a stimulus offers the advantage that it is non‐invasive and does not produce any waste products 6, 8. Moreover, it can be easily tuned in terms of wavelength and intensity and it can be applied with high spatiotemporal control.…”

“…Moreover, it can be easily tuned in terms of wavelength and intensity and it can be applied with high spatiotemporal control. These advantages have stimulated the application of light‐driven molecular switches14 and motors in functional materials8, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and biological systems 21, 22, 23, 24. However, potentially harmful UV light is typically used for their operation while, for practical applications, the use of visible light is often desired 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31…”

Artificial microtubules burst with energy

“…Synthetic molecular machines of increasing sophistication have been built and studied for several decades (3). Analogous to molecular motors found in nature, they are defined as molecules that can convert an energy input, typically in the form of chemical fuel or light, into translational or rotational motion.…”