Institut Charles Sadron Event

This thesis explored the integration of light-driven synthetic molecular motors in supramolecular gel networks. The main goal was to achieve reversible macroscopic motion by exploiting both the unidirectional rotation of molecular motors and the reversible nature of supramolecular interactions. Highly functionalized molecular motors have been synthesized and integrated as crosslinking units in supramolecular gel networks of diphenylalanine and poly(?-benzyl-L-glutamate) peptides, as well as DNA oligonucleotides. Activation of the unidirectional rotation of molecular motors by light, allowed the production of nanomechanical work which is sufficient to disrupt supramolecular interactions in peptide-based gel networks leading to contraction or melting of the gel material at the macroscopic scale. Thanks to the reversible supramolecular interactions, the initial gel material was recovered in the dark, either spontaneously or by applying a thermal stimulus. The systems studied in this thesis represent a novel class of materials operating in dissipative out-of-equilibrium conditions, holding promise of applications in various fields such as biology, medicine and material science.