Institut Charles Sadron Event

This thesis explores integrating artificial molecular motors into gels; their unidirectional rotation twists polymer chains, causing gel contraction. The primary question is: what can artificial molecular motors achieve when coupled with polymer chains? The first project examines polymer persistence length's effect on gel behavior, switching from polyethylene glycol to polydimethylsiloxane. We study how flexibility, temperature, and UV light intensity influence motor-polymer conjugates for soft materials applications. The second project investigates how energy generated by molecular motors affects chemical equilibria. A dynamic covalent gel, using a tetra-aldehyde functionalized motor as a crosslinking agent for di-amino polyethylene glycol with a competitive mono-aromatic amine, is assessed via NMR to explore chemical selection. The final project integrates chemically fueled motors into a gel matrix, allowing rotational direction reversal by inverting fuel chirality. Collaborating with David Leigh’s group, we developed a soft material to study motor performance in the gel network.