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Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Light-driven Molecular Motors on Surfaces for Single Molecular Imaging
Published on: March 13, 2019
Visible-Light-Driven Rotation of Molecular Motors in a Dual-Function Metal-Organic Framework Enabled by Energy
Wojciech Danowski1, Fabio Castiglioni2, Andy S Sardjan3
1Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The visible-light-driven rotation of an overcrowded alkene-based molecular motor strut in a dual-function metal-organic framework (MOF) is reported. Two types of functional linkers, a palladium-porphyrin photosensitizer and a bispyridine-derived molecular motor, were used to construct the framework capable of harvesting low-energy green light to power the rotary motion. The molecular motor was introduced in the framework using the postsynthetic solvent-assisted linker exchange (SALE) method, and the structure of the material was confirmed by powder (PXRD) and single-crystal X-ray (SC-XRD) diffraction. The large decrease in the phosphorescence lifetime and intensity of the porphyrin in the MOFs upon introduction of the molecular motor pillars confirms efficient triplet-to-triplet energy transfer between the porphyrin linkers and the molecular motor. Near-infrared Raman spectroscopy revealed that the visible light-driven rotation of the molecular motor proceeds in the solid state at rates similar to those observed in solution.
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