Research Philosophy
At the macroscopic scale, machines perform precise tasks by staying still when idle and moving only when commanded. Molecules, in contrast, are never still: they are constantly agitated by thermal motion, making even the simplest “mechanical” operation extremely difficult.
Our research aims to overcome this challenge by turning artificial molecular machines into practical tools for chemistry. These nanoscale devices harness light energy to choreograph molecular motion into directional tasks, such as winding, linking, stretching or even breaking molecules with precision.
Recently, we demonstrated that such a machine can link molecular strands into catenanes – molecules shaped like interlocked chain links. This establishes a general machine-directed strategy for constructing mechanically interlocked molecules without relying on templates, marking the first step toward using molecular machines not only to mimic macroscopic concepts but to shape matter in ways that conventional chemistry cannot.
Group Philosophy
Fundamental research is a creative discipline. It requires imagination. It is driven by curiosity.
As molecular machinists we are inventors and explorers at the same time: we engineer a molecular machine to use it as a tool to discover new chemical space. This requires a creative, communicative and open-minded working environment, where problems are approached from different angles. We believe that this can only be achieved with a diverse team.
Interested in joining our group? Please contact Michael directly.