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Yao X, Vishnu JA, Lupfer C, Hoenders D, Skarsetz O, Chen W, Dattler D, Perrot A, Wang WZ, Gao C, Giuseppone N, Schmid F, Walther A. Scalable Approach to Molecular Motor-Polymer Conjugates for Light-Driven Artificial Muscles. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2403514. [PMID: 38613525 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202403514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
The integration of molecular machines and motors into materials represents a promising avenue for creating dynamic and functional molecular systems, with potential applications in soft robotics or reconfigurable biomaterials. However, the development of truly scalable and controllable approaches for incorporating molecular motors into polymeric matrices has remained a challenge. Here, it is shown that light-driven molecular motors with sensitive photo-isomerizable double bonds can be converted into initiators for Cu-mediated controlled/living radical polymerization enabling the synthesis of star-shaped motor-polymer conjugates. This approach enables scalability, precise control over the molecular structure, block copolymer structures, and high-end group fidelity. Moreover, it is demonstrated that these materials can be crosslinked to form gels with quasi-ideal network topology, exhibiting light-triggered contraction. The influence of arm length and polymer structure is investigated, and the first molecular dynamics simulation framework to gain deeper insights into the contraction processes is developed. Leveraging this scalable methodology, the creation of bilayer soft robotic devices and cargo-lifting artificial muscles is showcased, highlighting the versatility and potential applications of this advanced polymer chemistry approach. It is anticipated that the integrated experimental and simulation framework will accelerate scalable approaches for active polymer materials based on molecular machines, opening up new horizons in materials science and bioscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyang Yao
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, Institut Charles Sadron - CNRS, 23 rue du Loess, BP 84047, 67034, Strasbourg, Cedex 2, France
- Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Freiburg, Germany
- Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Studies, Strasbourg, France
| | - Jude Ann Vishnu
- KOMET 1, Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Claudius Lupfer
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel Hoenders
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Oliver Skarsetz
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Weixiang Chen
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Damien Dattler
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, Institut Charles Sadron - CNRS, 23 rue du Loess, BP 84047, 67034, Strasbourg, Cedex 2, France
| | - Alexis Perrot
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, Institut Charles Sadron - CNRS, 23 rue du Loess, BP 84047, 67034, Strasbourg, Cedex 2, France
| | - Wen-Zhi Wang
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, Institut Charles Sadron - CNRS, 23 rue du Loess, BP 84047, 67034, Strasbourg, Cedex 2, France
| | - Chuan Gao
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, Institut Charles Sadron - CNRS, 23 rue du Loess, BP 84047, 67034, Strasbourg, Cedex 2, France
| | - Nicolas Giuseppone
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, Institut Charles Sadron - CNRS, 23 rue du Loess, BP 84047, 67034, Strasbourg, Cedex 2, France
- Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Freiburg, Germany
- Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Studies, Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, 75005, France
| | - Friederike Schmid
- KOMET 1, Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Andreas Walther
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Freiburg, Germany
- Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Studies, Strasbourg, France
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Perrot A, Wang WZ, Buhler E, Moulin E, Giuseppone N. Bending Actuation of Hydrogels through Rotation of Light-Driven Molecular Motors. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202300263. [PMID: 36715696 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202300263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The unidirectional rotation of chemically crosslinked light-driven molecular motors is shown to progressively shift the swelling equilibrium of hydrogels. The concentration of molecular motors and the initial strand density of the polymer network are key parameters to modulate the macroscopic contraction of the material, and both parameters can be tuned using polymer chains of different molecular weights. These findings led to the design of optimized hydrogels revealing a half-time contraction of approximately 5 min. Furthermore, under inhomogeneous stimulation, the local contraction event was exploited to design useful bending actuators with an energy output 400 times higher than for previously reported self-assembled systems involving rotary motors. In the present configuration, we measure that a single molecular motor can lift up loads of 200 times its own molecular weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Perrot
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR 22, 67000, Strasbourg, France.,School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Wen-Zhi Wang
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR 22, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Eric Buhler
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), UMR CNRS 7057, Université Paris Cité, Bâtiment Condorcet, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Emilie Moulin
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR 22, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Nicolas Giuseppone
- SAMS Research Group, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR 22, 67000, Strasbourg, France
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Perrot A, Moulin E, Giuseppone N. Extraction of mechanical work from stimuli-responsive molecular systems and materials. TRENDS IN CHEMISTRY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trechm.2021.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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4
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Danielsen SPO, Beech HK, Wang S, El-Zaatari BM, Wang X, Sapir L, Ouchi T, Wang Z, Johnson PN, Hu Y, Lundberg DJ, Stoychev G, Craig SL, Johnson JA, Kalow JA, Olsen BD, Rubinstein M. Molecular Characterization of Polymer Networks. Chem Rev 2021; 121:5042-5092. [PMID: 33792299 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Polymer networks are complex systems consisting of molecular components. Whereas the properties of the individual components are typically well understood by most chemists, translating that chemical insight into polymer networks themselves is limited by the statistical and poorly defined nature of network structures. As a result, it is challenging, if not currently impossible, to extrapolate from the molecular behavior of components to the full range of performance and properties of the entire polymer network. Polymer networks therefore present an unrealized, important, and interdisciplinary opportunity to exert molecular-level, chemical control on material macroscopic properties. A barrier to sophisticated molecular approaches to polymer networks is that the techniques for characterizing the molecular structure of networks are often unfamiliar to many scientists. Here, we present a critical overview of the current characterization techniques available to understand the relation between the molecular properties and the resulting performance and behavior of polymer networks, in the absence of added fillers. We highlight the methods available to characterize the chemistry and molecular-level properties of individual polymer strands and junctions, the gelation process by which strands form networks, the structure of the resulting network, and the dynamics and mechanics of the final material. The purpose is not to serve as a detailed manual for conducting these measurements but rather to unify the underlying principles, point out remaining challenges, and provide a concise overview by which chemists can plan characterization strategies that suit their research objectives. Because polymer networks cannot often be sufficiently characterized with a single method, strategic combinations of multiple techniques are typically required for their molecular characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott P O Danielsen
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Haley K Beech
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Shu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Bassil M El-Zaatari
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Xiaodi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | | | | | - Zi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Patricia N Johnson
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Yixin Hu
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - David J Lundberg
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Georgi Stoychev
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Stephen L Craig
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Jeremiah A Johnson
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Julia A Kalow
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Bradley D Olsen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michael Rubinstein
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States.,Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States.,World Primer Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University, Kita 21 Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0021, Japan
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Feng Y, Ovalle M, Seale JSW, Lee CK, Kim DJ, Astumian RD, Stoddart JF. Molecular Pumps and Motors. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:5569-5591. [PMID: 33830744 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c13388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Pumps and motors are essential components of the world as we know it. From the complex proteins that sustain our cells, to the mechanical marvels that power industries, much we take for granted is only possible because of pumps and motors. Although molecular pumps and motors have supported life for eons, it is only recently that chemists have made progress toward designing and building artificial forms of the microscopic machinery present in nature. The advent of artificial molecular machines has granted scientists an unprecedented level of control over the relative motion of components of molecules through the development of kinetically controlled, away-from-thermodynamic equilibrium chemistry. We outline the history of pumps and motors, focusing specifically on the innovations that enable the design and synthesis of the artificial molecular machines central to this Perspective. A key insight connecting biomolecular and artificial molecular machines is that the physical motions by which these machines carry out their function are unambiguously in mechanical equilibrium at every instant. The operation of molecular motors and pumps can be described by trajectory thermodynamics, a theory based on the work of Onsager, which is grounded on the firm foundation of the principle of microscopic reversibility. Free energy derived from thermodynamically non-equilibrium reactions kinetically favors some reaction pathways over others. By designing molecules with kinetic asymmetry, one can engineer potential landscapes to harness external energy to drive the formation and maintenance of geometries of component parts of molecules away-from-equilibrium, that would be impossible to achieve by standard synthetic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanning Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Marco Ovalle
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - James S W Seale
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Christopher K Lee
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Dong Jun Kim
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - R Dean Astumian
- Department of Physics, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469, United States
| | - J Fraser Stoddart
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.,Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.,ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou 311215, China
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