Peer Fischer: "Breaking symmetry: from the molecules of life to artificial flagella"

Peer Fischer
Fraunhofer IPM, Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques, Germany

Breaking symmetry: from the molecules of life to artificial flagella

Symmetry breaking is a useful and essential ingredient when assembling complex building blocks and ultimately micro- and nanomachines. At the molecular scale, the molecules of life are chiral and break mirror-image symmetry, and we consider whether simple engineering ideas can be used to affect their molecular structure. We present an example where we have achieved absolute asymmetric synthesis and 'engineered' the absolute conformation of a molecule using macroscopic fluid flow. Then, we consider microparticles, and in particular multifunctional Janus particles, to show that it is possible to build and realize soft-matter building blocks that do not arise naturally. Finally, we present our work in trying to mimic the motion of one of nature's most complex machines: the bacterial flagellum. I discuss the construction and actuation of "magnetically actuated nanopropellers".