Unidirectional rotation of micromotors on water powered by pH-controlled disassembly of chiral molecular crystals

Itai Carmeli, Celine M. Bounioux, Philip Mickel, Mark B. Richardson, Yael Templeman, Joel M. P. Scofield, Greg G. Qiao, Brian Ashley Rosen, Yelena Yusupov, Louisa Meshi, Nicolas H. Voelcker, Oswaldo Diéguez, Touvia Miloh, Petr Král (), Hagai Cohen and Shachar E. Richter ()
Additional contact information
Itai Carmeli: Tel Aviv University
Celine M. Bounioux: Tel Aviv University
Philip Mickel: University of Illinois at Chicago
Mark B. Richardson: CSIRO Manufacturing
Yael Templeman: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Joel M. P. Scofield: University of Melbourne
Greg G. Qiao: University of Melbourne
Brian Ashley Rosen: Tel Aviv University
Yelena Yusupov: Tel Aviv University
Louisa Meshi: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Nicolas H. Voelcker: Monash University
Oswaldo Diéguez: Tel Aviv University
Touvia Miloh: Tel Aviv University
Petr Král: University of Illinois at Chicago
Hagai Cohen: Weizmann Institute of Science
Shachar E. Richter: Tel Aviv University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Biological and synthetic molecular motors, fueled by various physical and chemical means, can perform asymmetric linear and rotary motions that are inherently related to their asymmetric shapes. Here, we describe silver-organic micro-complexes of random shapes that exhibit macroscopic unidirectional rotation on water surface through the asymmetric release of cinchonine or cinchonidine chiral molecules from their crystallites asymmetrically adsorbed on the complex surfaces. Computational modeling indicates that the motor rotation is driven by a pH-controlled asymmetric jet-like Coulombic ejection of chiral molecules upon their protonation in water. The motor is capable of towing very large cargo, and its rotation can be accelerated by adding reducing agents to the water.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38308-9

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