Prof. Nicolas Giuseppone "Integration of Molecular Machines in Active Polymer Networks"

Making molecular machines that can be useful in the macroscopic world is a challenging long-term goal of nanoscience. Inspired by the protein machinery found in biological systems, organic chemists have developed a number of molecules that can produce work when triggered by various external chemical or physical stimuli. In particular, basic molecular switches that commute between thermodynamic minima and more advanced molecular motors that work far from equilibrium when fueled with external energy have been reported. However, the coordination of individual molecular motors in a continuous mechanical process that can have a measurable effect at the macroscale has remained elusive until very recently. We will discuss advances developed by our group on artificial molecular machines and involving their mechanical coupling within dynamic polymer systems and materials.
 

invited by Günter Reiter