De Chemische Binding

Mechanizing molecular matter

The sophistication reached by organic chemistry has enabled the design and synthesis of a wide range of dynamic molecules that display controlled shape changes with an ever-increasing refinement. However, synchronizing the nanoscale movement of these molecular motors and switches and amplifying it over increasing length scales remain key challenges, and strategies to promote the emergence of shape, motility and function over increasing length scales have remained elusive.

Essential processes in living matter are driven by complex molecular systems integrating molecular machines - we can extract relevant design principles from biological systems, towards stimuli-responsive soft matter. In particular, it is known that biological systems maintain their out of equilibrium operation by ingenious coupling of molecular machineries with their soft anisotropic environment. I will discuss how we have controlled and used light-driven molecular motion to re-engineer similar strategies in synthetic matter.

 

Prof. Dr. Nathalie Katsonis:

Prof. Katsonis completed her PhD in 2004 at the University of Paris 6 (France) working on the nanoscale probe of molecular self-assemblies. Then she joined the group of Ben Feringa in Groningen as a post-doc, extending her research interests into the self-assembly of motors and switches. After a position at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS Toulouse, France) she moved to the University of Twente where she is currently professor in bio-inspired and smart materials. She has won awards such as the Prof. de Winterprijs (2012) and the KNCV Gold Medal (2017).

 

Info: http://www.katsonis.eu/

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