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1. Engineering control circuits for molecular robots using synthetic biology

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0020429  

   Wei, Ting-Yen; Ruder, Warren_C (October 2020, APL Materials)

   The integration of molecular robots and synthetic biology allows for the creation of sophisticated behaviors at the molecular level. Similar to the synergy between bioelectronics and soft robotics, synthetic biology provides control circuitry for molecular robots. By encoding perception-action modules within synthetic circuits, molecular machines can advance beyond repeating tasks to the incorporation of complex behaviors. In particular, cell-free synthetic biology provides biomolecular circuitry independent of living cells. This research update reviews the current progress in using synthetic biology as perception-action control modules in robots from molecular robots to macroscale robots. Additionally, it highlights recent developments in molecular robotics and cell-free synthetic biology and suggests their combined use as a necessity for future molecular robot development. 

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2. Molecular Aharonov–Bohm-type interferometers based on porphyrin nanorings

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SC07992B  

   Cheng, Chi Y; Harari, Gil; Rončević, Igor; Peralta, Juan E; Anderson, Harry L; Wibowo-Teale, Andrew M; Hod, Oded (January 2025, Chemical Science)

   A goal of molecular electronics and spintronics is to create molecular devices that change their conductance in response to external stimuli. 

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3. Monitoring the Dynamic Process of Formation of Plasmonic Molecular Junctions during Single Nanoparticle Collisions

   https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201704164  

   Guo, Jing; Pan, Jie; Chang, Shuai; Wang, Xuewen; Kong, Na; Yang, Wenrong; He, Jin (March 2018, Small)

   Abstract The capability to study the dynamic formation of plasmonic molecular junction is of fundamental importance, and it will provide new insights into molecular electronics/plasmonics, single‐entity electrochemistry, and nanooptoelectronics. Here, a facile method to form plasmonic molecular junctions is reported by utilizing single gold nanoparticle (NP) collision events at a highly curved gold nanoelectrode modified with a self‐assembled monolayer. By using time‐resolved electrochemical current measurement and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy, the current changes and the evolution of interfacial chemical bonding are successfully observed in the newly formed molecular tunnel junctions during and after the gold NP “hit‐n‐stay” and “hit‐n‐run” collision events. The results lead to an in‐depth understanding of the single NP motion and the associated molecular level changes during the formation of the plasmonic molecular junctions in a single NP collision event. This method also provides a new platform to study molecular changes at the single molecule level during electron transport in a dynamic molecular tunnel junction. 

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4. Understanding the thermomechanical behavior of graphene-reinforced conjugated polymer nanocomposites via coarse-grained modeling

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d3nr03618a  

   Wang, Yang; Li, Zhaofan; Sun, Dali; Jiang, Naisheng; Niu, Kangmin; Giuntoli, Andrea; Xia, Wenjie (November 2023, Nanoscale)

   By employing coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, this study aims to investigate the thermomechanical behaviors of graphene-reinforced conjugated polymer nanocomposites at a fundamental molecular level. 

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5. Temperature dependence of phase diagrams and dynamics in nanocrystal assembly by solvent evaporation

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM01265H  

   Upah, Alex; Missoni, Leandro; Tagliazucchi, Mario; Travesset, Alex (February 2025, Soft Matter)

   We provide a systematic study of the phase diagram and dynamics for single component nanocrystals (NCs) by a combination of self-consistent mean-field molecular theory (MOLT-CF) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. 

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