Biochemistry Seminar: Alex Albaugh, WSU
This event is in the past.
Date:
April 21, 2023
Time:
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location:
Chemistry Department - Liberal Arts and Sciences
Schaap Auditorium
5101 Cass
Detroit, MI 48202
Detroit, MI 48202
Category:
Seminar
Alex Albaugh, Chemical Engineering, Wayne State University: "Understanding & Designing Synthetic Molecular Motors with Simulation"
Abstract: Biological molecular motors drive life. These diminutive engines transduce chemical energy stored in fuel into mechanical work at the very smallest scales. Muscle contraction, molecular transport, the central dogma, and mitosis are just a few of the critical life processes made possible by biological molecular motors. Recent advances in synthetic chemistry have made it possible to create non-biological molecular motors. In this talk I will introduce a model for a synthetic “information ratchet”, a motor that transforms random thermal motion into useful work. I will discuss how nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of this model reveal tradeoffs between motor accuracy, velocity, and efficiency and demonstrate the motor’s response to a range of operating conditions. Leveraging recent breakthroughs with thermodynamic uncertainty relationships, I will also discuss the motor’s performance compared to theoretical limits. Finally, I will present how these simulations can be used as a tool to screen designs and inform construction of the next generation of artificial molecular motors. In the future I hope that similar computational approaches will be valuable tools for creating better synthetic molecular motors and developing a deeper understanding of biological motors.