Nanomechanical and chemical aspects of rotation in multicomponent nanorotors

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Michael Schmittel
• Subject Area: Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: from 2015 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 280014790

Biological and technical machines usually do only function due to the interplay of archetypically different components. As a consequence, nature has developed ATP synthase, kinesin and related complex systems on the basis of supramolecular heterocomponent aggregates. However, different from their biomolecular archetypes almost all molecular machines or devices in the chemical world have been developed on the basis of covalently or topologically linked building blocks. Capitalizing on latest achievements from our group with regard to multicomponent nanorotors we want to raise their mechanical and chemical properties to a new emergent level of functionality with each additional component. A final goal of this work is to utilize the nanomechanical aspects of rotation purposefully for catalytic processes, to evaluate correlated rotation, and to run multicomponent machinery in out-of-equilibrium conditions. This research should therefore open new perspectives for the chemistry of rotating systems.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants