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Press Statement 16-009

Chemistry Nobel Prize 2016

NSF director congratulates chemistry Nobel Prize laureates

Molecular lift

The diagram depicts a molecular lift which can raise itself 0.7 nanometers above a surface.


October 5, 2016

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Statement from National Science Foundation Director France Córdova regarding the news that NSF-funded chemist Fraser Stoddart of Northwestern University was one of an international group awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry:

The National Science Foundation congratulates today's Nobel Prize winners in chemistry for their extraordinary achievement in designing molecular machines with controllable movements. We are especially proud to recognize the work of Northwestern University's Fraser Stoddart, whose efforts to develop rotaxane -- a molecular structure that represents a revolutionary step in the miniaturization of technology -- our agency helped fund.

Stoddart's ability to move a nano-sized ring up and down the length of a molecular axle demonstrated control of movement at the molecular level, making possible the design and manufacture of molecular staircases, molecular muscles and molecule-based computer chips. Stoddart, and his fellow Nobel Prize awardees -- University of Strasbourg's Jean-Pierre Sauvage and University of Groningen's Bernard Feringa -- have laid the groundwork for new types of molecular motors and an assortment of nanoscale machines.

Today, we offer our heartiest congratulations to this Nobel trio, whose fundamental scientific research will inspire current and future generations of scientists and engineers and expand the frontiers of molecular machinery, possibly creating and manipulating new molecules and sensors and finding new ways to store and conduct energy.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Ivy F. Kupec, NSF, (703) 292-8796, email: ikupec@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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