Everything about Nanomotor totally explained
A
nanomotor is a molecular device capable of converting energy into movement. It can typically generate
forces on the order of
piconewtons.
A proposed branch of research is the integration of molecular motor proteins found in living cells into molecular motors implanted in artificial devices. Such a
motor protein would be able to move a "cargo" within that device, similarly to how
kinesin moves various molecules along tracks of microtubules inside cells.
Starting and stopping the movement of such motor proteins would involve caging the
ATP in molecular structures sensitive to UV light. Pulses of UV illumination would thus provide pulses of movement. Nanomotors have also been made using synthetic materials and chemical methods.
Nanotube nanomotor
Researchers at
University of California, Berkeley headed by Professor
Alex Zettl have developed rotational bearings based upon multiwall carbon nanotubes. By attaching a gold plate (with dimensions of order 100 nm) to the outer shell of a suspended multiwall carbon nanotube (like nested carbon cylinders), they're able to electrostatically rotate the outer shell relative to the inner core. These bearings are very robust, with devices surviving thousands of oscillations with no indication of wear. The work was done
in situ in an
SEM. These nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) are the next step in miniaturization that may find their way into commercial applications in the future.
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