Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Light-driven Molecular Motors on Surfaces for Single Molecular Imaging
Published on: March 13, 2019
A rotary molecular motor gated by electrical energy
Chen-Yi Kao1, Hsiu-Feng Lu2, Ito Chao2
1†Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 10617.
Abstract:
DFT calculations predict that the chiral pentiptycene derivative E-1 possesses distinct rotational potential energy surfaces in the neutral vs the radical anionic (E-1(•-)) form such that continued electrochemical switching between E-1 and E-1(•-) could lead to a directional rotation of the pentiptycene rotor about the exocyclic C-C bond. The time scale of random Brownian rotation is ∼10(6) s for E-1 and ∼170 s for E-1(•-) at 150 K, and thus a switching time scale of 0.2 s could readily bias the rotation direction to >99% at 150 K. The synthetic feasibility, line-shape analysis on the VT (1)H NMR spectra, and electrochemical redox switching of E-1 are demonstrated.
Related Concept Videos
Electro-mechanical Systems
A key component of the DC motor is the armature, a rotating circuit positioned within a magnetic field. As an electric current passes through the...
Back EMF
Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins
Force On A Current Loop In A Magnetic Field
ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and...
Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...

