Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Research on molecular motors continues to expand as increasing attention is devoted to dynamic and out-of-equilibrium chemical systems. Among the different classes of artificial molecular machines, light-driven motors are the most extensively present, yet the fundamental principles governing their directional motion remain difficult to disentangle, particularly for non-specialists. This work applies these concepts in a tutorial setting by gradually implementing molecular features to a base scaffold that turns it from a bistable system into an experimentally observable light-driven molecular motor. In doing so, it demonstrates how directional bias emerges as soon as relaxation of a high-energy state is coupled to a mechanical movement (a power stroke), while the motor performance can be addressed through modification of the underlying energy landscape. In addition, we show a practical workflow for benchmarking new motor candidates along with the experimental determination of their kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. To complement this study, we provide procedures for undergraduate students to synthesize and operate a molecular motor in practical courses.
Source: ChemRxiv
Institution: University of Geneva
Language: English
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7220448374