World’s smallest machines scoop Chemistry Nobel

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa for their design and production of molecular machines.

The collective work of Sauvage (University of Strasbourg, France) Stoddart (Northwestern University in the US) and Feringa (University of Groningen in the Netherlands) has allowed the development of miniaturised machines that operate on the nanoscale.

The machines are based on molecules with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added.

Speaking at the announcement of the prize Bernard Feringa said: “The opportunities are great, when you are able to introduce dynamic change to materials you can make materials that will change and adapt themselves.”

The first step was taken by Jean-Pierre Sauvage in 1983, when he succeeded in linking two ring-shaped molecules together to form a chain, called a catenane. Normally, molecules are joined by strong covalent bonds, but in the chain they were instead linked by a freer mechanical bond. The two interlocked rings were able to move relative to one another – vital for a machine to perform tasks.

The second step was taken by Fraser Stoddart – born in Scotland. In 1991 he developed arotaxane by threading a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and was able to get the ring to move along the axle. Among his developments based on rotaxanes are a molecular lift, a molecular muscle and a molecule-based computer chip.

Then in 1999, Bernard Feringa was the first person to develop a molecular motor. The key to this was the ability to make a molecular rotor blade to spin continually in the same direction.

Whilst tiny in scale, molecular motors can be very powerful. Feringa manged to demonstrate that his motor can rotate a glass cylinder that is 10,000 times bigger than the motor.

The prize money will be shared equally between the three winners.