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Updated: May 18, 2026

Light-driven Molecular Motors on Surfaces for Single Molecular Imaging
Published on: March 13, 2019
Racing with nature: artificial nanomachines that keep running on light, both left and right
1Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States. kopelman@umich.edu
Abstract:
Nature's molecular motors and nanomachines perform marvelous tasks, especially on the level of single cells. Can artificial ones compete? In this issue, You et al. demonstrate a photon-driven molecular machine where switching the color of the light switches the direction of motion of the molecular motor. While having inferior performance characteristics, this novel motor may become the forerunner of a new generation of sophisticated and practical competitors with Nature's ancient, but highly important, nanomachines.
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