Nobel Laureate Inaugurates Prestigious Science Congress in Tenerife
Nearly a decade after receiving his Nobel Prize, Dutch scientist Ben Feringa inaugurated the SHIFT Congress at the University of La Laguna (ULL), an event that has become a cornerstone for Physics and Chemistry in the Canary Islands. Before a captivated audience in the University’s Paraninfo hall, Feringa presented the opportunities unlocked by the chemical synthesis of dynamic, “living” materials based on the “molecular machines” for which he was awarded.
The Future of Self-Repairing Objects
According to the scientist, in a future he is hesitant to put a date on, all the inanimate objects around us—from chairs and tables to cars—will have properties allowing them to react similarly to organic matter. This means they could self-repair or self-clean. The field of molecular machines has gained worldwide popularity, representing a shift from static materials, like a chair or a water bottle, to dynamic ones. Endowing inert materials with life-like properties opens up a wealth of new opportunities across numerous fields.
From Soft Robotics to Smart Medicine
Scientists are already working on developing sensitive surfaces that can heal or clean themselves, while others are using the technology to create soft robotics. Simultaneously, an entire field is dedicated to smart medicine, where treatments can be activated or deactivated to target a specific area in the body. “No, it’s not exactly like Frankenstein,” Feringa clarifies. “We seek to give materials life-like properties. For example, when you cut your finger and keep it clean, it heals by itself. It self-repairs. This doesn’t happen when your car gets a scratch. My dream is that in the future, when sunlight hits that scratch, it will repair itself thanks to the photochemical properties of these materials.”
A Revolution in Recycling
He points to the first examples of plastics that can be cut and then repair themselves as evidence of these “life properties.” Such a material could also revolutionize recycling. “Right now, when we want to give a material a second life, we have to choose between mechanical recycling or, directly, incineration. However, what we should aspire to is recycling it like the compounds in your body—with chemical bonds that are strong enough to make a bottle and keep the water inside, but that can also separate and return to their basic components when you want them to.” When asked if this is easy to achieve, he admits, “No. It’s difficult. Many people are working on it, trying to create new ways of making chemical bonds that are strong enough to create durable materials but also easy to recycle.”
Targeting Cancer and Restoring Movement
These living molecular machines are particularly promising for the controlled release of drugs. “They are like tiny switches and machines included in medicines, allowing us to activate the drug exactly where it’s needed,” Feringa explains. Their contributions to cancer chemotherapy are especially notable. This biotechnology could help avoid the side effects of therapy by activating treatment precisely where required, including on small tumors that a surgeon cannot remove.
But that’s not all. “We could also design artificial tissues that would allow, for example, people with certain types of paralysis to walk again. And of course, this includes hybrid systems—integrating this soft, sensitive material with living material, like artificial skin.”
Inventing the Future Responsibly
Predicting a timeline for these advancements is challenging. “I’m a scientist, I can’t predict the future. But I find it much more stimulating to invent the future, and to do it together with students,” he says. The need for new medicines, new ways of recycling, and sustainable, green chemistry is clear, and will only grow. Feringa acknowledges that every new development brings new problems, drawing a parallel to the early days of aviation, which required building planes but also introduced issues like polluting fuels and the need to properly train pilots.
“We must think about these drawbacks and their ethical aspects. We need to reflect and discuss them in universities, together with students.” He uses genetic modification as an example, suggesting that helping a person with a serious genetic disease is perhaps good, but modifying genes to have blonde hair instead of your natural color is probably not. “We have to think about how far we want to go when we manage to develop these tiny machines, which are actually nanorobots, that will have acquired life-like properties.”
Incredible Porous Materials
Feringa also expressed his enthusiasm for the Nobel Prize awarded this year to Professor Omayagi for his work on porous materials, a development seen as crucial for the last 10 to 20 years. “These materials can clean the air, extract water from dry air, and capture CO₂,” he notes. In a remarkable coincidence, Omayagi was the first speaker at the Solvay conference where Feringa was president, just after Omayagi received the call from Stockholm.
Feringa’s own team has recently developed porous materials, collaborating with colleagues in Italy and Germany to place nanomotors inside them. “In this way, we have created porous materials, like crystals, that, thanks to these nanomaterials, change their porosity and volume as they move. This allows them to control whether gases enter or exit, at will.” These industrially produced materials could revolutionize areas like air and water purification. He recounts how Omayagi sent students to Death Valley in the US, where with just a kilo or two of this material, they managed to absorb water from the dry night air and have liquid water in the morning. “Incredible,” Feringa remarks.
Exploring Tenerife’s Natural Beauty
On his first visit to Tenerife, which he made with his wife, Feringa was keen to do some tourism. “On Thursday we will go to the mountains, for a hike, and I’m really looking forward to it. And of course, the old town is beautiful. Maybe we’ll also go to the coast, perhaps for a swim or to the beach.” He knew of the Canary Islands from school and books and described Tenerife as a “beautiful place.” Having often visited mainland Spain for university collaborations, he found Tenerife to be “a different world,” distinct from the Netherlands or northern Spain, praising its nature, climate, and history.
“The Canary Islands were very important in the past. When the Dutch travelled to South Africa or India in wooden ships, they always stopped here to stock up on water and food. I’ve read quite a lot about that, and they are also very famous for tourism. I had never come as a tourist, so it’s wonderful to be able to do so now.”
A Borderless Scientific Family
Feringa hopes for fruitful discussions with scientists from the Islands during his stay, noting that some had already approached him with interest in nanoparticles. “That is the beauty of these conferences: you make new friends, you meet people from other scientific communities, and new ideas emerge. Scientists are like a family all over the world. And that is important.” He passionately defended an open science “without borders,” a concept he feels is under threat. “We must connect and help each other, especially to inspire the young, the next generations.”
A Warning on Research Funding
He concluded with a warning to politicians about research cuts. “I think it is crucial that politicians think about the future. That they invest in education, research, sustainability, and youth. The budget is not infinite, but you have to be careful with what you cut, because otherwise, as a State, you are removing the tools to build the future.”
