This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct nine to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.
This award will support a twenty-four-month research fellowship by Dr. John M. Beierle to work with Dr. Ben L. Feringa at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Chemists regularly look to Biology for inspiration in the design of molecular motors, defined as molecules capable of performing work. Though there have been many successful examples of molecular motion stimulated by light, electrical current, and chemical energy, there are less examples of those molecules that are capable of performing physical work (W =F?d). In collaboration with Prof. Ben Feringa of the University of Groningen, the PI will work toward the design, synthesis, and application of an artificial kinesin motor, named for its biological inspiration in that the final product combines unidirectional motion on a specialized surface and the ability to transport cargo.
By combining the complexities of organic synthesis, metal-templated synthesis, and dynamic surface chemistry we will synthesize a dimer of Feringa?s unidirectional light driven molecular motors that will have a site for metal templated assembly of a cargo molecule. Furthermore, the designed motor dimer is functionalized so that it will act in dynamic equilibrium with a functionalized surface similar to kinesin?s interaction with microtubules. The progress made on this project will not only enrich the PI?s educational background in its complexity, but it will also prepare him for his endeavor to run an independent academic laboratory returning to the United States by strengthening collaboration with one of the best laboratories in Europe. The success of this project will also fulfill one of the long time standing goals of the scientific community focusing on molecular motion, a synthetic molecule capable of performing work.
