Synthetic molecular machines – University of Warsaw

Schematic representation of the modification of molecular motor(a). schematic depiction of the full 360° unidirectional rotary cycle of molecular motor (the photochemical reactions are drawn horizontally and thermal isomerizations vertically) (b). Liquid crystals, doped with synthesized motor and irradiated with UV-light. Credit: Dr Wojciech Danowski/UW

Molecular motors based on overcrowded alkenes are synthetic machines that, powered by light, perform controlled, unidirectional rotations of one part of the molecule relative to the other. Dr Wojciech Danowski from the UW’s Faculty of Chemistry is a co-author of a publication describing how to drastically increase the efficiency of these nanoscale motors, approaching the … Continue reading Synthetic molecular machines