Researchers from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas have created the first-ever solid-state optical nanometer. The micro nanomotors can power various things, as reported by SciTechDaily.
One, the nanomotor can be useful for air quality measurement, with its spinning motion that can pick up dust and other particles. They can also propel drug delivery devices inside the human body.
Second, the nanomotor can power tiny drones for surveillance and measurements.
The nanomotor is less than 100 nanometers wide and can rotate on a solid substrate under light illumination. It can convert light into mechanical energy for a variety of solid-state micro-/nano-electro-mechanical systems that are fuel-free and gear-free engines. Check out the video here.
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The Brownian Motion
Every research and development have its share of challenges. In this case, the Brownian Motion held back the implementation of these devices. It happens when water molecules push the little motors off their spin.
The smaller the motor, the strong the effect of the motion. An effective way to resolve this is to remove the solution from the equation.
Nanomotors are now a part of a huge and growing field of miniature power sources. They serve as a middle ground in scale between molecular machines at the smaller end and micro-engines at the larger end.
However, at this point, researchers are still trying to figure out the fundamental science to make these tiny motors more viable through increased efficiency.
The Growing Interest
The reason scientists are very interested in creating these tiny motors is that they mimic some of the most important biblical structures. In nature, they drive the cell division and help them move. They combine to help organisms move.
By taking the motors out of the solution and placing them onto chips, they can replace batteries and use only light to generate mechanical motion and power devices.
The breakthrough came from a novel design, which is a thin layer of phase change material on the substrate. The thin film can undergo a local and reversible change from the solid to a quasi-liquid phase when exposed to light. The change in phase can reduce the force of friction and drive the rotation of nanomotors.
Moving forward, the research team will continue to improve their creation by working on enhancing their performance to make them more stable and controllable. This will lead to converting light to mechanical energy at higher rates.
In the end, they hope their technology can be used in a wide variety of applications, including medical devices, drug delivery systems and more.
This is one of the most creative and most recent technologies that came through. The nanomotors are expected to be used for their various applications and can benefit from their use. They are expected to become a part of solid-state motors that can be used in various devices
Related Article: World's smallest and fastest nanomotor created by UT-Austin scientists will blow you away
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Written by April Fowell
