Artificial Molecular Machines That Work at All Scales

Making molecular machines that can be useful in our macroscopic world is a challenging long-term goal of nanoscience. Inspired by the protein machinery found in biological systems, and based on the theoretical understanding of the physics of motion at the nanoscale, 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 (meta)stable states, and more advanced molecular motors that produce unidirectional cyclic motions out-of-equilibrium when fueled with external energy, have been reported. However, the integration of individual molecular motors in a continuous mechanical process that can have measurable effects at various length scales and up to the macroscale remains an important objective. We will discuss advances developed by our group on artificial molecular machines, which involve their mechanical coupling with polymer systems. We will show how it becomes possible to integrate them and to make use of their mechanical work going from individual molecular devices to macroscopic materials.