Divergent Synthesis of Molecular Winch Prototypes

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Investigating the mechanical work performed by single molecular motors is crucial for understanding nanoscale processes.
• Ruthenium-based molecular motors offer potential for controlled directional rotation.
• Anchoring molecular motors to surfaces is essential for studying their function in a confined environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel molecular winch prototypes for studying single molecular motor performance.
• To probe the work output of a surface-anchored ruthenium-based molecular motor.
• To investigate the motor's ability to pull molecular loads via electrically-driven rotation.

Main Methods:

• Technomimetic design embedding a ruthenium-based motor within a winch structure.
• Derivatization of the motor precursor using sequential cross-coupling reactions.
• A one-pot synthesis involving peptide coupling and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition to attach molecular loads.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of new molecular winch prototypes.
• Development of a divergent synthesis strategy for creating loaded nanowinches.
• Attachment of diverse molecular loads, including triptycene, fullerene, and porphyrin moieties, to the winch structure.

Conclusions:

• The developed molecular winches enable the investigation of single molecular motor work.
• The synthetic strategy allows for the facile incorporation of various molecular loads.
• This work lays the foundation for studying nanoscale mechanical work at the single-molecule level.