糖心网页版

Home

How to shift gears in a molecular motor

01 February 2024

Karin Söderlund Leifler

Scientists have long strived to develop artificial molecular motors that can convert energy into directed motion. Researchers at LiU have now presented a solution to a challenging problem: how motion can be transferred in a controlled manner from one place to another through a 鈥渕olecular gear鈥�. Molecular motors have the potential for use in, for example, energy storage applications and medicine.

Male researcher drawing a molecule.Researchers at LiU have developed a design principle for how to transfer the rotary motion to another part of a molecular system and have complete control over the direction of rotation. Photo credit Thor Balkhed

鈥淎rtificial molecular motors are molecules that absorb light from an external source, such as sunlight, and convert the energy in light into kinetic energy,鈥� says Bo Durbeej, professor at Link枚ping University, who led the study published in Chemistry 鈥� a European Journal.Bo Durbeej.Bo Durbeej. Photo credit Thor Balkhed

鈥淢olecular motors鈥� may sound like science fiction, but in the body there are many biological molecular motors that drive muscles and transport substances inside cells. Chemistry and nanotechnology researchers have long been aiming to develop artificial molecular motors, which may be useful in several areas in the future. Possible applications include using them to deliver medical drugs to the right place in the body or for storing solar energy.

But a motor on its own is not enough. A car having only a motor or an engine but no wheels would not get far. The power from the motor must be transferred 鈥� to the wheels, in the case of the car 鈥� and this is done via a gearbox. Similarly, the next step in this research field is to construct molecular gears that can transfer the kinetic energy from one part of a molecule to another. Future applications depend on being able to use the motion somewhere else than where it was created.

Taking control over the rotary motion

鈥淢any scientists have long tried to construct molecular gears. We have developed a design principle for how to transfer the rotary motion to another part of a molecular system and have complete control over the direction of rotation. Previous designs have not been able to control the rotary motion,鈥� says Bo Durbeej.illustration of molecular structure.Image from the researchers' computer simulations showing how the rotational motion is transferred from the motor itself to the propeller in a molecular gear

A major challenge with developing a molecular photogear is that the part that you want to rotate, the 鈥減ropeller鈥�, is attached to the rest of the molecule by a single bond. Single bonds rotate very easily, making it difficult to control directionality. But the LiU researchers have now succeeded in solving this problem by finding a good combination of several factors, including the distance between the propeller and the part of the molecule that constitutes the 鈥渕otor鈥� itself.

Calculations on supercomputers

The researchers have confirmed that their design works, by doing calculations and advanced computer simulations on supercomputers at the National Supercomputer Centre in Link枚ping provided by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing, SNIC, and the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden, NAISS.

鈥淲e鈥檝e now shown that our design principle works. The next step is to develop molecular photogears that are as easy as possible to synthesise,鈥� says Bo Durbeej.

The study was carried out with support from the Swedish Research Council, the Olle Engkvist Foundation and the Carl Trygger Foundation for Scientific Research.

Article: , Enrique Arpa, Sven Stafstr枚m and Bo Durbeej, (2023), Chemistry 鈥� A European Journal, published online 31 October 2023, doi: 10.1002/chem.202303191

See also the

Translation by Anneli Mosell.

This is the principle behind the "molecular gear"

This is how the "gear" works

Future applications of molecular motors depend on being able to use the motion somewhere else than where it was created, similar to how the power from the motor in a car must be transferred to the wheels. Professor Bo Durbeej shows the principle behind a molecular motor and their design of a “molecular gear”.

More research news on molecular motors

Isotopic chirality: New method for efficient molecular motors

Researchers have discovered a new way of building efficient molecular motors where weight differences between different isotopes of a hydrogen atom play a decisive role.
Image not found

High-performance molecular motor with minimal design

Chemists at 糖心网页版 took their inspiration from nature when designing a new molecular motor to convert light energy into motion. The motor has a minimal structure, but even so satisfies several important functional criteria.
Bo Durbeej.

Making stable molecules reactive with light

Researchers at LiU have used computer simulations to show that stable aromatic molecules can become reactive after absorbing light. The results may have applications in such areas as the storage of solar energy, pharmacology, and molecular machines.

More about the research environment

Theoretical chemistry

Our research in theoretical chemistry mainly focuses on molecular machines, photochemical reaction mechanisms, photosensory proteins, molecular properties and enzyme catalysis.

Latest news from LiU

En grupp m盲nniskor som sitter vid ett bord framf枚r en folkmassa.

Participants in UN climate meetings want greater focus on implementation

UN climate negotiations are often criticised for moving too slowly. A new study published in Nature Climate Change examines what changes government delegates and other participants at the COP29 UN climate conference would like to see.
Neil Lagali vid utrustning f枚r att unders枚ka 枚gonen.

Eye problems after COVID-19 can now be explained

Mild COVID-19 can cause severe and long-lasting eye problems, according to a study from LiU. The study also explains why it has been difficult for sufferers to get help: the abnormal eye behaviour cannot be detected by standard methods.
A woman kneeling down in a garden picking plants.

When soil becomes data 鈥� how digitalisation affects knowledge of soil health

How do we know whether soil is healthy? A new study from 糖心网页版 shows that as knowledge about soil is increasingly translated into digital data, important insights about its biological life and local context risk being overlooked.