Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

Emanuele Penocchio “Thermodynamics of chemical engines: a chemical reaction network approach”

November 25, 2021 @ 11:00 am

Emanuele Penocchio

University of Luxembourg
Abstract
Chemical processes in closed systems inevitably relax to equilibrium. Living systems avoid this fate and give rise to a much richer diversity of phenomena by operating under nonequilibrium conditions. Recent experiments in supramolecular chemistry, electrochemistry, and photochemistry also demonstrated that by opening the system to matter and/or energy exchanges with the environment, an ocean of opportunities for artificial synthesis, molecular machines and energy storage emerges. To navigate it, establishing thermodynamic notions of free-energy, work, and dissipation for these open “chemical engines” may prove useful, as this talk will try to demonstrate. First, the framework of nonequilibrium thermodymamics of open chemical reaction networks will be briefly introduced. [1] Second, two synthetic molecular motors — a chemically driven rotary motor [2] and a light-driven molecular pump [3] — will be analyzed in such a framework. The main outcomes will be the understanding of the motors’ functioning out-of-equilibrium from a thermodynamic viewpoint and the quantification of their performance in terms of efficiency and energy storage. Even though few examples will be discussed in details, the approach is fully general, encompassing chemically-, photochemically-, and electrochemically-driven chemical reaction networks.
References

[1] EP, Rao, R. and Esposito, M. Thermodynamic efficiency in dissipative chemistry. Nat Commun. 103865 (2019); Avanzini, F., EP, Falasco, G. and Esposito M., "Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of non-ideal chemical reaction networks", J. Chem. Phys. 154, 094114 (2021).
[2] Amano, S., Esposito, M., Kreidt, E., Leigh D.A., EP, and Roberts BMW., "Insights from an information thermodynamics analysis of a synthetic molecular motor." ChemRxiv-2021-60k1r (2021).

[3] work in progress based on EP, Rao, R., and Esposito, M., "Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of light-induced reactions", J. Chem. Phys. 155, 114101 (2021).

Details

Date:
November 25, 2021
Time:
11:00 am
Event Category:

Venue

Salle de réunion

Organizer

Giulio Ragazzon