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- Title
Autonomous motors of a metal-organic framework powered by reorganization of self-assembled peptides at interfaces.
- Authors
Ikezoe, Yasuhiro; Washino, Gosuke; Uemura, Takashi; Kitagawa, Susumu; Matsui, Hiroshi
- Abstract
A variety of microsystems have been developed that harness energy and convert it to mechanical motion. Here we have developed new autonomous biochemical motors by integrating a metal-organic framework (MOF) and self-assembling peptides. The MOF is applied as an energy-storing cell that assembles peptides inside nanoscale pores of the coordination framework. The nature of peptides enables their assemblies to be reconfigured at the water/MOF interface, and thus converted to fuel energy. Reorganization of hydrophobic peptides can create a large surface-tension gradient around the MOF that can efficiently power its translational motion. As a comparison, the velocity normalized by volume for the diphenylalanine-MOF particle is faster and the kinetic energy per unit mass of fuel is more than twice as great as that for previous gel motor systems. This demonstration opens the route towards new applications of MOFs and reconfigurable molecular self-assembly, possibly evolving into a smart autonomous motor capable of mimicking swimming bacteria and, with integrated recognition units, harvesting target chemicals.
- Subjects
METAL-organic frameworks; MOLECULAR self-assembly; PEPTIDES; INTERFACES (Physical sciences); COORDINATION compounds; SURFACE tension; KINETIC energy
- Publication
Nature Materials, 2012, Vol 11, Issue 12, p1081
- ISSN
1476-1122
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/nmat3461