Institut Charles Sadron News

In living cells, there are biological motors which participates in the organization of complex polymer networks. Scientists at the Charles Sadron Institute have succeeded in imitating this phenomenon using simple artificial rotating molecular motors capable of grouping together at the air-water interface. Once compressed, these motors form a deconstructed molecular film. And it is under the influence of light that the magic happens: The motors start moving and trigger a spontaneous organization of matter. The result: long and perfectly organized fibers at the nanoscale are spontaneously formed.

With the prospect of an active material capable of self-organizing, self-reparigin and also evolving in response to changes in its environment, this discovery opens a totally new pathway in the design of innovative motorized materials.

This study was funded by the "ArtMoMa" Innovative Training Network (ITN) of the European Commission's H2020 Program.

Reference:

Supramolecular
polymerization through rotation of light-driven molecular motors

Philippe Schiel, Mounir Maaloum, Emilie Moulin,
Irina Nyrkova, Alexander Semenov, Damien Dattler, Lou-Ann Accou, Anastasia
Christoulaki, Eric Buhler, Rémi Plamont, Jean-Marie Lehn & Nicolas
Giuseppone

Nature Nanotechnology (2025) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-01933-0