EMMMA · Exploiting mechanical motion of molecular architectures

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Project objective

Many phenomena of biological interest originate directly from mechanical motions at the molecular level. Celebrated examples include the transcis isomerisation of double bonds that trigger the visual signal and the rotary motion of the enzyme F_1-ATPase, one of the cornerstones of photosynthesis. This extraordinary dependence on molecular level motion in key natural process is inspiring scientists to try and bridge the gap between synthetic chemistry, which by and large relies upon electronic and chemical effects and does not exploit molecular motions, and the macroscopic world, where our everyday machines rely upon the synchronized motions of their components to perform their designated tasks. Accordingly, there is great current interest in trying to make molecular analogues of some of the fundamental components of machinery from the macroscopic world (cogs, wheels, shuttles, pistons etc). The idea is that such structures could form the basis of synthetic devices or materials that, like biological systems, could function through molecular level mechanical motion Here we propose a Network which aims to go from developing a simple understanding of how molecular level interlocked components move mechanically with respect to each other, right through gaining control over such motions using external stimuli (electric fields, electrons, photons etc), to the preparation of synthetic materials which change the macroscopic properties in response to a specific signal. The principle scientific aim of the EMMMA (Exploiting Mechanical Motion of Molecular Architectures) Network is, as the acronym suggests, actually use the stimuli-generated mechanical motions to produce macroscopic property changes at surface or within bulk polymers. Such systems would be at the forefront of what has been achieved thus far with mechanically interlocked molecular architectures and have potential commercial applications in a range of advanced switchable materials, e

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH · EDINBURGHCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
• DSM RESEARCH BV · GELEENNetherlands
• FACULTES UNIVERSITAIRES NOTRE-DAME DE LA PAIX DE NAMUR · NAMUR / NAMENBelgium
• NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF ITALY · BOLOGNAItaly
• UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM · AMSTERDAMNetherlands
• UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA · BOLOGNAItaly
• UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN · GRONINGENNetherlands
• UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS · ST ANDREWSUnited Kingdom
• UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI TRIESTE · TRIESTEItaly

Links

• View on CORDIS