An introduction to ratchets in chemistry and biology

What is it about?

An accessible introduction to ratchets, discussing the basics of the field, and where we stand today. Three conditions are needed to achieve transport: (i) breaking the spatial inversion symmetry, for instance by applying an electric field with periodic asymmetric repeat units (e.g., a sawtooth potential); (ii) breaking temporal symmetry, typically assured by energy dissipation; and (iii) energy input to keep the system away from equilibrium (otherwise rectification would be prohibited by the 2nd law of thermodynamics).

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