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Updated: Jul 29, 2025

Light-driven Molecular Motors on Surfaces for Single Molecular Imaging
Published on: March 13, 2019
Photoactivated Artificial Molecular Motors
Stefano Corra1,2, Massimiliano Curcio1,2, Alberto Credi1,2
1CLAN-Center for Light Activated Nanostructures, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e Fotoreattività, CNR area della ricerca Bologna, via Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy.
Abstract:
Accurate control of long-range motion at the molecular scale holds great potential for the development of ground-breaking applications in energy storage and bionanotechnology. The past decade has seen tremendous development in this area, with a focus on the directional operation away from thermal equilibrium, giving rise to tailored man-made molecular motors. As light is a highly tunable, controllable, clean, and renewable source of energy, photochemical processes are appealing to activate molecular motors. Nonetheless, the successful operation of molecular motors fueled by light is a highly challenging task, which requires a judicious coupling of thermal and photoinduced reactions. In this paper, we focus on the key aspects of light-driven artificial molecular motors with the aid of recent examples. A critical assessment of the criteria for the design, operation, and technological potential of such systems is provided, along with a perspective view on future advances in this exciting research area.
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