Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Journal articles
  4. An electric molecular motor
 
research article

An electric molecular motor

Zhang, Long
•
Qiu, Yunyan
•
Liu, Wei-Guang
Show more
January 12, 2023
Nature

Macroscopic electric motors continue to have a large impact on almost every aspect of modern society. Consequently, the effort towards developing molecular motors(1-3) that can be driven by electricity could not be more timely. Here we describe an electric molecular motor based on a [3]catenane(4,5), in which two cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene)(6) (CBPQT(4+)) rings are powered by electricity in solution to circumrotate unidirectionally around a 50-membered loop. The constitution of the loop ensures that both rings undergo highly (85%) unidirectional movement under the guidance of a flashing energy ratchet(7,8), whereas the interactions between the two rings give rise to a two-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) similar to that shown by FOF1 ATP synthase(9). The unidirectionality is powered by an oscillating(10) voltage(11,12) or external modulation of the redox potential(13). Initially, we focused our attention on the homologous [2]catenane, only to find that the kinetic asymmetry was insufficient to support unidirectional movement of the sole ring. Accordingly, we incorporated a second CBPQT(4+) ring to provide further symmetry breaking by interactions between the two mobile rings. This demonstration of electrically driven continual circumrotatory motion of two rings around a loop in a [3]catenane is free from the production of waste products and represents an important step towards surface-bound(14) electric molecular motors.

  • Files
  • Details
  • Metrics
Type
research article
DOI
10.1038/s41586-022-05421-6
Web of Science ID

WOS:000955880900010

Author(s)
Zhang, Long
Qiu, Yunyan
Liu, Wei-Guang
Chen, Hongliang
Shen, Dengke
Song, Bo
Cai, Kang
Wu, Huang
Jiao, Yang
Feng, Yuanning
Show more
Date Issued

2023-01-12

Publisher

NATURE PORTFOLIO

Published in
Nature
Volume

613

Issue

7943

Start page

280

End page
Subjects

Multidisciplinary Sciences

•

Science & Technology - Other Topics

•

driven

•

motion

•

rotary

•

switches

•

rotation

•

kinetics

•

pumps

•

rise

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

Available on Infoscience
May 8, 2023
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/197523
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés