Nanocar Race Research Articles

Design and Manipulation of a Minimalistic Hydrocarbon Nanocar on Au(111).

Nanocars are carbon-based single-molecules with a precise design that facilitates their atomic-scale control on a surface. The rational design of these molecules is important in atomic and molecular-scale manipulation to advance the development of molecular machines, as well as for a better understanding of self-assembly, diffusion and desorption processes. Here, we introduce the molecular design and construction of a collection of minimalistic nanocars. They feature an anthracene chassis and four benzene derivatives as wheels. After sublimation and adsorption on an Au(111) surface, we show controlled and fast manipulation of the nanocars along the surface using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The mechanism behind the successful displacement is the induced dipole created over the nanocar by the STM tip. We utilized carbon monoxide functionalized tips both to avoid decomposition and accidentally picking the nanocars up during the manipulation. This strategy allowed thousands of maneuvers to successfully win the Nanocar Race II championship.

Design and Manipulation of a Minimalistic Hydrocarbon Nanocar on Au(111)

AbstractNanocars are carbon‐based single‐molecules with a precise design that facilitates their atomic‐scale control on a surface. The rational design of these molecules is important in atomic and molecular‐scale manipulation to advance the development of molecular machines, as well as for a better understanding of self‐assembly, diffusion and desorption processes. Here, we introduce the molecular design and construction of a collection of minimalistic nanocars. They feature an anthracene chassis and four benzene derivatives as wheels. After sublimation and adsorption on an Au(111) surface, we show controlled and fast manipulation of the nanocars along the surface using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The mechanism behind the successful displacement is the induced dipole created over the nanocar by the STM tip. We utilized carbon monoxide functionalized tips both to avoid decomposition and accidentally picking the nanocars up during the manipulation. This strategy allowed thousands of maneuvers to successfully win the Nanocar Race II championship.

Nanocars with Permanent Dipoles: Preparing for the Second International Nanocar Race.

With the desire to synthesize surface-rolling molecular machines that can be translated and rotated with extreme precision and speed, we have synthesized a series of five nanocars. Each structure features a permanent dipole moment, generated by an N,N-dimethylamino- moiety on one end of the car coupled with a nitro group on the other end. These cars are designed to be stimulated with an electric field gradient from a scanning probe microscopy tip. The nanocars all possess unexplored combinations of structural features: tert-butyl wheels, short alkyne chassis, and combination sets of wheels including one set of tert-butyl wheels and another set of larger adamantane wheels on the same car. Each of these features needs to be assessed as preparation for the second International Nanocar Race that is taking place in 2022.

Dipolar Nanocars Based on a Porphyrin Backbone

Invited for the cover of this issue is Gwénaël Rapenne and co-workers from CEMES-CNRS at University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France and from NAIST, Nara, Japan. The image depicts an artistic representation of a nanocar race. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202001999.

Nano Trek Beyond: Driving Nanocars/Molecular Machines at Interfaces.

In 2016, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for pioneering work on molecular machines. Half a year later, in Toulouse, the first molecular car race, a "nanocar race", was held by using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope as an electrical remote control. In this Focus Review, we discuss the current state-of-the-art in research on molecular machines at interfaces. In the first section, we briefly explain the science behind the nanocar race, followed by a selection of recent examples of controlling molecules on surfaces. Finally, motion synchronization and the functions of molecular machines at liquid interfaces are discussed. This new concept of molecular tuning at interfaces is also introduced as a method for the continuous modification and optimization of molecular structure for target functions.

From the Synthesis of Nanovehicles to Participation in the First Nanocar Race-View from the French Team.

This review article presents our accomplished work on the synthesis of molecular triptycene wheels and their introduction into nanovehicles such as wheelbarrows and nanocars, equipped with two and four wheels, respectively. The architecture of nanovehicles is based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which provide a potential cargo zone. Our strategy allowed us to obtain planar or curved nanocars, exhibiting different mobilities on metallic surfaces. Our curved nanocar participated in the first nanocar race organized in Toulouse (France) on 28 and 29 April 2017.

Big moves for little devices

Since the 1980s, chemists have been creating molecular machines—single molecules that resemble and function like motors, rotors, and even tiny cars. When three molecular machine pioneers won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the field gained a certain gravitas: The whirligig molecules being created were certified as more than mere chemical curiosities. It’s not a surprise that molecular machines continued to make headlines this year, including a souped-up motor-rotor combo, polymer pulleys designed to boost battery performance, and the world’s first nanocar race. “It is fascinating to see the current acceleration in the field,” says Ben L. Feringa, one of the 2016 Nobel laureates. “The recent ingenious designs, ranging from molecular pumps to reshaping polymers, reflect how molecular machines will bring responsive and adaptive behavior, enabling numerous potential applications.” Here C&EN revisits some favorite molecular machine stories of 2017. Nanocars zoomed into action Move over, NASCAR. Nanocars have taken to

How to build and race a fast nanocar.

The first NanoCar Race was an opportunity to see how far we have come in manipulating single molecules. As the team with the fastest molecule in this race, we share the synthetic challenges to building a fast nanocar and the experimental approach needed for rapid translation across a surface.

Fast and curious.

Remy Pawlak and Tobias Meier discuss how they got involved in the first international NanoCar Race and their impressions from this experience.

The first nanocar race

The first race involving molecular ‘cars’ stimulated technical advances in scanning tunnelling microscopy and provided insights in surface science and synthetic chemistry — it also attracted wide interest from the public.

World’s first nanocar race crowns champion

It’s hard to understand why Eric Masson’s excited about a picture of his car with a missing wheel. The fact that the car in the sepia micrograph on his computer screen looks more like a toasted marshmallow than a Maserati doesn’t help, either. But Masson, a supramolecular chemist at Ohio University, patiently explains that the lumpy, cream-colored rectangle he’s pointing to in the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) image is an assembly of atoms that scientists can drive across a surface. It is a nanocar. There are several similar rectangles in this STM image. All of them, except for one, feature four discernible lumps, one at each corner. These lumps are nanocar wheels made of large, ring-shaped cucurbituril molecules. But the car Masson’s pointing at has only three lumps. Resting nearby is a bright circle—a cucurbituril wheel lying on its side. The car missing its wheel refuses to move, Masson has

The 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, awarded for: "The Design and Synthesis of Molecular Machines".

Keywords: Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Eraser Stoddart, Bernard L. Feringa, 2016, Nobel Prize, molecular machines Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa share the 2016 Nobel Prize Chemistry (1), awarded jointly to them for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. A molecular machine, or nanomachine, is any discrete number of molecular components that produce quasi-mechanical movements (output) response to specific stimuli (input). (2) This was demonstrated (3) 1983, when Jean-Paul Sauvage managed to synthesise a catenane (Figure 1), which is formed by linking together two ring-shaped molecules by a mechanical bond, a recently coined term to describe the connection between the macrocycles of a catenane. In order that the molecular machine can perform a specific task, its components must be able to move relation to one another, as is the case the two interlocked rings the catenane. It was Fraser Stoddart, who 1991 synthesised a rotaxane (4), which has a molecular axle threaded through a molecular ring (Figure 2a,b), and demonstrated that the ring could move up and down the axle, leading to such devices as a molecular elevator, a molecular muscle and a molecule-based computer chip. In 1999, Bernard Feringa managed to demonstrate a molecular motor (5), which the rotor blade spins continually the same direction. Using a molecular motor, he managed to rotate a glass cylinder that was 10,000 times bigger than the motor itself. concept of a has emerged, a version of which was developed at Rice University by the research group of James Tour (6), and consisted of a molecule with an H-shaped 'chassis' with fullerene groups attached at the four comers to act as wheels (Figure 3). However, the original device did not have a molecular motor, and so might not be regarded as an actual Feringa and his co-workers have synthesised a molecule with four motorized wheels, which they deposited onto a copper surface and used electrons from a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) to provide sufficient energy that they could drive some of the molecules a specific direction, similar fashion to steering a car. As a result of inelastic electron tunnelling, conformational changes are induced the rotors which propels the molecule over the surface. Since it is possible to change, individually, the direction of the rotary motion the motor units, either random or preferentially linear trajectories can be attained the self-propelling molecular 'four-wheel' device. It is believed that it might be possible to produce more sophisticated molecular cars, which a more complete control of the direction of motion can be achieved. (7) Jean-Francois Morin et al. (8) are working on a nanocar of the future, fitted with carborane wheels and a light powered helicene molecular motor. However, although a unidirectional rotation was observed the motor solution, it has not yet proved possible to drive it on a surface by means of light-energy. A nanocar race event, initially scheduled October 2016 and described as The First Ever Race of Molecule-Cars, has been postponed (9) in order to give enough time the teams to prepare and the microscope to be optimized. This postponement is essential to make the event a true > challenge. As yet, the real future molecular machines is unknown and probably unknowable, but we may note the following, taken from the 2016 Nobel Prize Chemistry website (10). …

Training for the 1st international nano-car race: the Dresden molecule-vehicle

The first international nano-car race will be held in Toulouse, France in spring 2017, with the participation of six international teams. The training session of the Dresden Team is reported using the Toulouse LT-UHV 4-STM reconfigured with four independent controllers in preparation for the race. During the training, the total Au(1 1 1) surface was prepared over the full gold substrate and a 90 nm long race track with two turns was defined according to the new nano-car race rules. The Dresden windmill molecule-vehicle was deposited in ultrahigh vacuum conditions, imaged, and manipulated by any one of the four tips on race tracks to reach a 5 nm per hour driving speed including the STM image time after a given driving bias voltage pulse. During the manipulation with one of the tips, it was possible to image with another tip in parallel. Strategies for a safe and fast driving was established by the Dresden team along the fcc rafter of the Au(1 1 1) surface together with the possibility to repair on the spot the destroyed molecule for example during the negotiation of a turn. Other teams will beneficiate from this experience to also improve their driving strategy.