Rotors and switches are elementary building blocks of molecular machines. To achieve
more advanced functions, these units have to be integrated into solid-state devices, which …

Controlled attachment of photoswitchable molecules to solid surfaces is a promising route
for the realization of complex machine-like molecular functions. A central next step here is …

Molecular switches and motors respond structurally, electronically, optically, and/or
mechanically to external stimuli, testing and potentially enabling extreme miniaturization of …

Inspired by the complex molecular machines found in nature, chemists have developed
much simpler molecular motors.[1–3] Among them, several systems incorporating …

Recent advances in synthetic methods and analysis techniques provide a basis for the
construction and characterization of organized arrays of molecular switches and motors on …

The scientific vision of nanotechnology is the atomically precise fabrication and
manipulation of mechanical and electronic components. A promising route to such control …

Surface-bound molecular rotors provide a useful way to study the structure and dynamics of
molecular motion at the single-molecule level. However, when most molecules adsorb on a …

The ultimate miniaturization of future devices will require the use of functional molecules at
the nanoscale and their integration into larger architectures,. Switches represent a prototype …

In recent years, artificial molecular devices have been strongly in the focus of research.[1] Bi-
or multistable molecules as well as supramolecular assemblies have been built using highly …

Synthetic molecular machines designed to operate on materials surfaces can convert
energy into motion and they may be useful to incorporate into solid state devices. Here, we …