Molecular machine-based nanomaterials: Recent progress and prospects

Abstract

Molecular machines are chemical molecules (man-made or natural) which display triggered reversible conformational changes by external stimuli like pH and temperature, followed by observable changes. This property of controllable and coherent motion at molecular level can be observed through the synthesis of macroscopic materials from self-assembly of molecular machines. Due to these properties, molecular machine-based nanomaterials display a wide range of unique characteristics and various useful applications in biomedicine, energy, environmental engineering, etc. This paper reviews recent research articles on some potential applications including biosensing, therapeutics (with a focus on drug delivery system) and catalysis based on MMs and their composites to assess the current practicality of the technology. Although most materials are not ready for real-life applications yet and there is a lack of deep understanding of the efficacy, these nanomaterials display a wide range of very useful and unique characteristics and present a brand-new direction for tackling current challenges.