Molecular Motors - Controlling movement at the nanoscale

Project Information

MOLECULAR MOTORS

Grant agreement ID: 227897

Project closed

Start date 1 January 2009

End date 31 December 2013

Funded under

• Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Total cost € 2 175 969,96

EU contribution € 2 175 969,96

Coordinated by

RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN
Netherlands

Objective

The design of artificial molecular motors and machines is one of the major challenges in contemporary molecular sciences and bottom-up molecular nanotechnology. Whereas the protein-based molecular motors found in the living cell are amongst the most fascinating and complex structures found in nature and crucial to nearly every key biological process, the field of synthetic linear and rotary motors is still in its infancy. In a broader context moving molecular sciences from the current situation with a focus on static structures and operation under thermodynamic control to dynamic chemistries with systems under kinetic control will represent a major step beyond current frontiers of chemical sciences. Furthermore, a shift from control of structure to dynamic control of function and from molecules to molecular systems, where several components act in concert often at different hierarchical levels, makes it possible for fascinating and unique properties to be discovered. In this program the goal is to significantly push ahead the frontiers of the field of molecular motors and machines both with respect to control of translational and rotary motion, as well as the exploration of dynamic functions of molecular systems governed by molecular motors. A further extremely challenging goal is to explore synthetic systems that can undergo autonomous motion. This program builds on our recent discoveries of the first unidirectional light-driven rotary molecular motor, the chemical driven rotary motor that can complete a full rotary cycle in a repetitive manner and the first molecular defined autonomous translational motor powered by a chemical fuel. As the basic principles, rules and parameters that govern molecular motion at the nanoscale are, largely, not yet understood, the focus of this proposal is on a multidisciplinary program addressing some of the most challenging fundamental issues in this uncharted territory.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

• engineering and technology › nanotechnology
• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › energy and fuels
• natural sciences › chemical sciences

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Keywords

• Molecular machines
• functional surfaces
• smart surfaces

Programme(s)

• FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

• ERC-AG-PE4 - ERC Advanced Grant - Physical and Analytical Chemical sciences

Call for proposal

ERC-2008-AdG
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant

Host institution

RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN

• EU contribution: € 2 175 969,96
• Address: Broerstraat 5 ; 9712CP Groningen ; Netherlands
• Activity type: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Total cost: No data

Beneficiaries (1)

RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN

Netherlands

• EU contribution: € 2 175 969,96
• Address: Broerstraat 5 ; 9712CP Groningen
• Activity type: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Total cost: No data