London – With nanometric dimensions, LEAP pumps molecules using the energy of light. It is a very simple system, and therefore adaptable to different needs; its operation is very similar to that of biological motors that regulate the transport of substances within cells or muscle contraction. For now, it’s the only automatic and self-assembling molecular machine developed in a lab: it builds on its own and, when exposed to sunlight, it works without human intervention. It was designed, built and tested by a group of researchers from the Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician” at the University of Bologna. LEAP stands for Light energy automatic pump and is able to continuously and automatically convert energy from a constant source (like the Sun) into mechanical work and is the first example of an artificial molecular pump activated from light, reveals an article published in the scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology. (9Colonne)
