Abstract
Several methods have been developed in the last decades to manipulate molecules on surfaces using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. Some of those molecules have been designed with the aim of achieving controllable unidirectional motion and, eventually, to generate a motive power and perform work. Single-molecule motors have been mainly inspired by their macroscopic analogous, and their capacity to act as real motors is fairly limited to date. Here, we present some advances in the understanding of molecule motors based on their chemical composition and on their intramolecular electronic characteristics. Thinking of a single-molecule motor as a molecule with specific electronic states and thousands of mechanical degrees of freedom will open the path for the design of new improved and more efficient prototypes.
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Acknowledgments
J.E. thanks the Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Union for a Beatriu de Pinós scholarship.
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Echeverria, J., Joachim, C. (2015). The Design of a Single-Molecule Motor. In: Joachim, C., Rapenne, G. (eds) Single Molecular Machines and Motors. Advances in Atom and Single Molecule Machines. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13872-5_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13872-5_5
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