Light-driven dual rotary motors
Controlling motion at the smallest scales has long been a goal in chemistry. Molecular machines – tiny systems that convert energy into controlled movement – show that such control is possible, a breakthrough recognised with the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Among these systems, light-driven molecular motors are particularly promising because light can power motion with great precision.
Most artificial molecular motors developed so far contain only a single rotating unit. In contrast, many biological molecular machines rely on multiple moving parts that work together to perform complex tasks. In her thesis, Carlijn van Beek explores dual-rotor molecular motors, in which two rotating units are built into a single molecule – similar to having two wheels on the same axle. These systems provide a platform to investigate how molecular motion can be coordinated and controlled.
Van Beek introduces new molecular motor designs and examines how their structure influences their motion. A newly developed motor framework revealed that the two rotors can communicate with each other during rotation, meaning the motion of one rotor affects the other. Importantly, Van Beek also demonstrates that two different rotors can be combined within a single molecule, allowing each rotor to rotate at its own frequency. Together, these insights contribute to the groundwork for future molecular machines with increasingly sophisticated and programmable motion.