Issue 2, 2024

Light-activation of molecular motors in polymersomes

Abstract

Light-activated synthetic organic molecular motors are emerging as an excellent prospect to actuate supramolecular assemblies such as polymersomes with spatiotemporal precision. The influence on these materials depends on the motor's frequency of rotation and concentration. Therefore, we determined the rotation frequency of a motor in a poly(dimethyl siloxane)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PDMS13-b-PEG13) polymersome and compared it to the frequency observed in different organic solvents. Using UV-vis spectrophotometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we measured the rate of the thermal helix inversion step, which is the rate-determining step of the rotary cycle, and obtained the activation parameters. We found that the investigated motor's frequency of rotation did not significantly change in the polymersomes and remains at around 1 mHz. Moreover, dynamic light scattering results indicate that the rotation of the motors does not cause a significant change in the structure of this type of polymersome when used at a diblock copolymer : motor molar ratio of up to 100 : 2. Our findings provide a first insight into the effect of the polymersome on the motor's frequency of rotation and vice versa. Enhancing the polymersome composition with motors can lead to novel concepts, including light-activated nanopharmaceuticals, nanoreactors, and biomimetic artificial organelles and cells.

Graphical abstract: Light-activation of molecular motors in polymersomes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 loka 2023
Accepted
10 joulu 2023
First published
14 joulu 2023

Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2024,9, 226-233

Light-activation of molecular motors in polymersomes

S. K. Dawn, S. Klisch, G. J. Schneider and V. García-López, Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2024, 9, 226 DOI: 10.1039/D3ME00165B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements