Feringa, Bernard Lucas, 1951–, Dutch organic chemist, Ph.D. Univ. of Groningen, Netherlands, 1978. He has been on the faculty at the Univ. of Groningen since 1984. Feringa was jointly awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sauvage and Fraser Stoddart “for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.” In 1999, Feringa created a molecular rotor blade that spun in one direction, an achievement that involved overcoming the basic random movements of molecules. Since then, he and his team have linked several motors and axles to create a four-wheel-drive “nanocar.” Feringa's work built on earlier breakthroughs by Sauvage, who figured out how to link two molecules with a mechanical bond, and by Stoddart, who successfully moved a molecular ring along an axle. Collectively, their work resulted in a nanoscale technology that has potential applications in a broad range of areas from disease detection and treatment to energy storage and delivery. See also micromechanics.
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