Three scientists win Nobel Prize in chemistry for building 'molecular machines'

The 2016 Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to three scientists for "design and synthesis of molecular machines."

The award was announced on Wednesday by the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart and Bernard Feringa.

According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, molecular machines "will most likely to be used in the development of things such as new materials, sensors and energy storage systems", reports the Independent.

The work began in 1983 towards developing miniaturised machines, when the new laureate Jean-Pierre Sauvage became successful to connect two molecules in a chain. This is an essential requirement of such a machine since it allows two parts to move relative to each other.

The three new laureates worked further on it by making those machines more controllable and useful. Their efforts led to the building of molecular motor that rotated a glass cylinder that was 10,000 times bigger than the actual motor and also led to the development of a nanocar.