The field of dynamic functional molecular systems has progressed enormously over the past few decades. By coupling the mechanical properties of molecular switches and motors to chemical and biological processes, exceptional control of function has been attained. Overcrowded alkene-based light-driven molecular motors are very attractive in this respect owing to their unique multistate photochemically and thermally induced switching processes and their helical chirality inversion in each switching step. However, extending our control over properties from the molecular scale to larger length scales is still a fundamental challenge. In this Perspective, we discuss recent developments that address this challenge, ranging from the application of these motors in catalysis and synthetic materials to the control of biological properties. We may now be positioned at the dawn of a new era in which artificial molecular motors are able to perform programmed tasks and dynamic functions akin to the biological machines that are found in daily life.

在过去的几十年中，动态功能分子系统领域取得了长足的进步。通过将分子开关和电动机的机械性能与化学和生物过程相结合，可以实现对功能的出色控制。过度拥挤的基于烯烃的光驱动分子电动机在这方面非常有吸引力，这是由于它们独特的多态光化学和热引发的开关过程以及它们在每个开关步骤中的螺旋手性反转。然而，将对分子的性能的控制从分子尺度扩展到更大的长度尺度仍然是一个根本性的挑战。在此《观点》中，我们讨论了解决这一挑战的最新进展，从这些电机在催化和合成材料中的应用到生物特性的控制，不一而足。