Experimental and Simulation Evidence of a Corkscrew Motion for Benzene in the Metal-Organic Framework MIL-47

Some bacteria move with a corkscrew motion, meeting less resistance from surrounding water. A spiral movement is also considered during RNA polymerase translocation and it has been observed for water and proteins. We have found that benzene molecules confined in the metal organic framework MIL-47 move in a corkscrew fashion. This spectacular diffusion effect could be put into evidence by combining experimental and computation tools; the two experimental techniques, quasielastic neutron scattering and H-2 NMR, cover a wide range of time scales.