Scientists at TUM, the Technical University of Munich, have developed the first supramolecular motor powered by chemical fuel in history. For the first time, rotating motion has been achieved at the molecular scale outside of biological systems thanks to the advancements made in artificial motors under the direction of Professor Job Boekhoven.
In nature, molecular motors exist in organisms like archaea, which use structures called flagella for movement, powered by cellular energy molecules such as Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). For years, replicating such molecular motion artificially seemed impossible. However, the TUM team has developed a motor composed of peptide ribbons—strings of amino acids that form proteins in biological cells. When exposed to chemical fuel (not ATP), these ribbons curl into tubes and rotate, mimicking natural molecular motion.
The motor, just a few micrometers long and nanometers wide, can be observed under a microscope. Its speed can be adjusted by altering the fuel concentration, while the direction of rotation depends on the molecular structure of the ribbons. The motor’s capability to exert force, enough to move objects a few micrometers in size, was confirmed through optical measurement methods in collaboration with Molecular Biophysics expert Professor Matthias Rief.
This discovery holds potential for revolutionary medical applications. In the future, supramolecular motors could carry medication to specific organs or navigate through blood vessels to detect cancer cells. However, the chemical fuel currently used is toxic, making it unsuitable for use in living organisms. This limitation must be addressed before practical applications in medicine can be realized.
This achievement underscores the immense promise of biomimicry and nanotechnology in advancing scientific innovation and potentially transforming fields such as drug delivery and disease detection in the years to come.
