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<p>Harnessing and rectifying random Brownian motion and achieving precise directional control at the molecular level remain major obstacles, making the development of chemically fueled molecular motors that operate with intrinsic directional control a significant challenge. Here, we show that a series of homochiral biaryl molecular motors with symmetrical subunits and three distinct stereochemical elements, in which stereoselective cyclization and ring-opening generate kinetically favored products that promote unidirectional rotation. Driven by chemical fuel (EDC·HCl and water), these motors undergo stepwise 360° rotation around a single C–C bond, with stereocenter and electronic modulation precisely controlling the flipping energy barrier. Notably, <b>Motor-3</b> performs the sequence in an one-pot manner, sequentially executing ester cyclization, helix inversion, and ring-opening to achieve high unidirectionality over the full rotary cycle. This design, combining intrinsic control over rotation direction with simple chemical fueling for stepwise motion, illustrates the potential for future multicomponent molecular machines to perform mechanical functions.</p>

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Intrinsically unidirectional stepwise chemically fueled rotary molecular motors

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

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  • Yu Zhang,
  • Tianhao Jia,
  • Zheng Dong,
  • Yuhang Yang,
  • Xiaoqiang Ma,
  • Depeng Zhao

摘要

Harnessing and rectifying random Brownian motion and achieving precise directional control at the molecular level remain major obstacles, making the development of chemically fueled molecular motors that operate with intrinsic directional control a significant challenge. Here, we show that a series of homochiral biaryl molecular motors with symmetrical subunits and three distinct stereochemical elements, in which stereoselective cyclization and ring-opening generate kinetically favored products that promote unidirectional rotation. Driven by chemical fuel (EDC·HCl and water), these motors undergo stepwise 360° rotation around a single C–C bond, with stereocenter and electronic modulation precisely controlling the flipping energy barrier. Notably, Motor-3 performs the sequence in an one-pot manner, sequentially executing ester cyclization, helix inversion, and ring-opening to achieve high unidirectionality over the full rotary cycle. This design, combining intrinsic control over rotation direction with simple chemical fueling for stepwise motion, illustrates the potential for future multicomponent molecular machines to perform mechanical functions.