From nano-movement to macro-work

Helicies are found at every level of biology and are used by biology to perform many important functions. Here we want to design artificial materials that are capable of making mechanical movements observed in plants. These movements include spring-like functionality, unwinding and helical inversion. The materials will operate by light driven nano-scopic movements, which will then be translated into an overall shape in the material. We will use these shape changes to do mechanical work. There is currently no clear knowledge as to how to convert light driven nano-scale movement into macroscopic work and so this research will lay important groundwork. The ultimate aim of this research is not just to reproduce the movements observed in nature, but more importantly to use the lessons in the design and testing process to establish fundamental rules for how molecular scale movement can be translated to the macroscopic scale, and how this behaviour can be tuned rationally. These results may find applications in the development of new energy conversion or storage devices. Other potential applications include micro-mechanical, fluidic and robotic systems as well as sensors, mechanical muscles and materials capable of moulding the flow of light.

There are many of possible beneficiaries to this research. The overall objective of the work is to understand complex phenomena related to developing molecular machines, light driven functional materials and the conversion of light into energy. The main aim of the research is to design new systems and then to use the lessons learned in the design process to establish fundamental rules for how these systems work - what factors dictate the efficiency in these systems - and how these systems can be tuned rationally. This work aims to deliver a real advance in the rational nano-scale design of functional materials and is likely to open up completely new avenues of research.

This research could lead to advanced materials. The functional materials developed here will be capable of dynamic motion and hold tremendous potential in terms of mechanical actuation. Potential applications include micro-mechanical, fluidic, and robotic systems as well as sensors, mechanical muscles and metamaterials capable of molding the flow of light. In the long term, the development of such devices could potentially bring benefits to the high-tech manufacturing, as well as medical researchers, clinical scientists and ultimately their patients.

The long term benefits from understanding how to achieve efficient conversion of light into energy are potentially huge of the economy of the UK. One of the most important challenges facing society today is tackling the ever-increasing need for energy without relying on fossil fuels. Understanding how to efficiently design light driven energy conversion or storage materials could have implications in terms of quality of life and health. Advances in our understanding brought forward by basic research could potentially lead to energy independence, which would remove potential sources of conflict at various levels.