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A Polymerization‐Powered Motor
Author(s) -
Pavlick Ryan A.,
Sengupta Samudra,
McFadden Timothy,
Zhang Hua,
Sen Ayusman
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201103565
Subject(s) - monomer , janus , polymerization , polymer , catalysis , molecular motor , microsphere , chemistry , materials science , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , engineering , organic chemistry
Polymer powered! A polymerization reaction has been used to power the first micromotor outside biological systems. The motor employs a form of Grubbs' catalyst asymmetrically bound to gold–silica Janus microspheres (see picture). These motors show increased diffusion of up to 70 % when placed in solutions of the monomer. The motors also exhibit chemotaxis when placed in a monomer gradient.