Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2025

Reconstituting and Characterizing Actin-Microtubule Composites with Tunable Motor-Driven Dynamics and Mechanics
Published on: August 25, 2022
Entropic forces in rotaxane-based daisy chains: Toward tunable nanomechanical systems
Gaétan Sanchez1,2, Claudia Binetti1,2, Giuseppe Florio2,3
1University of Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, University Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, UMR 8520 - IEMN - Institut d'Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie, Lille F-59000, France.
Abstract:
Mechanically interlocked polymers and molecules exhibit unique topological, physical, and chemical properties, making them highly promising for applications in molecular machines, molecular switches, artificial muscles, nano-actuators, nano-sensors, and biomedical technologies. While significant progress has been made in their synthesis and practical implementation, theoretical studies remain underexplored. In this work, we examine the role of entropic forces in daisy chain structures incorporating rotaxanes, with the ultimate goal of characterizing entropic nano-springs for use in nanomechanics and nanotechnology. Potential applications include artificial cytoskeletons, synthetic cells, and nano-mechanical logic gates.
Related Concept Videos
Conformations of Cyclohexane
The chair form is the most stable and derives its name from its resemblance to the “easy chair.” In the chair conformation, two carbon atoms are arranged out-of-plane — one above and one below, minimizing the torsional strain. In the chair form, the bond angle is very close to the ideal...
Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Stability of Substituted Cyclohexanes
The two chair conformations of cyclohexanes undergo rapid interconversion at room temperature. Both forms have identical energies and stabilities, each comprising equal amounts of the equilibrium mixture. Replacing a hydrogen atom with a functional group makes the two conformations energetically non-equivalent.
For example, in...
Stability of Conjugated Dienes
A comparison of the enthalpies of hydrogenation of dienes reveals that conjugated dienes release less heat on hydrogenation, rendering them more stable than their nonconjugated analogs.
Mechanical Systems
Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this...

