The molecular machines that make up our muscles contend with low energy input on a per-motor and per-unit time basis, yet still accomplish work. How does the muscle accomplish such a task? Instead of simply converting energy to pressure, molecular motors use energy to rectify the random motion that is induced by the thermal fluctuations of their surroundings. At equilibrium, a molecular motor cannot transform the random thermal energy in its surroundings into directed motion, or else it would spontaneously decrease the entropy of its environment, in violation of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law, however, is a statement of the time-averaged entropy increase – since entropy depends on the system size and the degrees of freedom, on short time scales and small system sizes, spontaneous decreases in entropy can occur and can be exploited to do work. In this talk, we discuss the emerging field of non-equilibrium chemistry and its implications for biology, energy, and electronics.<br/>

Chemical systems out of equilibrium: From biology to electronics

2019 Spring National Meeting

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