Track-walking molecular motors: a new generation beyond bridge-burning designs
Track-walking molecular motors are the core bottom-up mechanism for nanometre-resolved translational movements - a fundamental technological capability at the root of numerous applications ranging from nanoscale assembly lines and chemical synthesis to molecular robots and shape-changing materials....
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| Published in | Nanoscale Vol. 11; no. 19; pp. 924 - 9263 |
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| Main Authors | , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
England
16.05.2019
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| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Track-walking molecular motors are the core bottom-up mechanism for nanometre-resolved translational movements - a fundamental technological capability at the root of numerous applications ranging from nanoscale assembly lines and chemical synthesis to molecular robots and shape-changing materials. Over the last 10 years, artificial molecular walkers (or nanowalkers) have evolved from the 1
st
generation of bridge-burning designs to the 2
nd
generation capable of truly sustainable movements. Invention of non-bridge-burning nanowalkers was slow at first, but has picked up speed since 2012, and is now close to breaking major barriers for wide-spread development. Here we review the 2
nd
generation of artificial nanowalkers, which are mostly made of DNA molecules and draw energy from light illumination or from chemical fuels for entirely autonomous operation. They are typically symmetric dimeric motors walking on entirely periodic tracks, yet the motors possess an inherent direction for large-scale amplification of the action of many motor copies. These translational motors encompass the function of rotational molecular motors on circular or linear tracks, and may involve molecular shuttles as 'engine' motifs. Some rules of thumb are provided to help readers design similar motors from DNA or other molecular building blocks. Opportunities and challenges for future development are discussed, especially in the areas of molecular robotics and active materials based on the advanced motors.
Track-walking molecular motors are the core bottom-up mechanism for nanometre-resolved translational movements - a fundamental technological capability at the root of numerous applications ranging from nanoscale assembly lines and chemical synthesis to molecular robots and shape-changing materials. |
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| Bibliography: | Dr Zhisong Wang obtained his doctorate degree in physics in 1998 from the University of Tuebingen, Germany. He went on to pursue postdoctoral studies in the University of Liverpool and the University of Texas at Austin, plus a short stay in Texas A&M University and Princeton University. He was a faculty member of Fudan University, China between 2004 and 2008 and of the National University of Singapore since 2008. His research interest lies in artificial molecular motors and motor protein biophysics. Dr Iong Ying Loh obtained his PhD in physics in 2015 from the National University of Singapore. He is now a senior research fellow in the same institution. His research interest covers experimental development of biomimetic molecular motors, related applications, and DNA nanotechnology. Dr Ruizheng Hou obtained his PhD in physics in 2013 from the National University of Singapore. He did his postdoctoral study in Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), and has been a faculty member of Xi'an Jiaotong University, China since 2015. His research interest is in theories of molecular motors from biology and nanotechnology. ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 |
| ISSN: | 2040-3364 2040-3372 |
| DOI: | 10.1039/c9nr00033j |