Sometimes, science does things just to see if it is possible. This seems to be one of those times. While I really wanted to have my long promised flying car by now, this is pretty cool too.
Controlled clockwise and anticlockwise rotational switching of a molecular motor
- U. G. E. Perera, F. Ample, H. Kersell, Y. Zhang, G. Vives, J. Echeverria, M. Grisolia, G. Rapenne, C. Joachim & S-W. Hla
- Nature Nanotechnology 8,46–51 (2013) doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.218
Abstract
The design of artificial molecular machines1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 often takes inspiration from macroscopic machines13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. However, the parallels between the two systems are often only superficial, because most molecular machines are governed by quantum processes.
Previously, rotary molecular motors3 powered by light4, 5, 6 and chemical7, 8, 9, 10, 11 energy have been developed. In electrically driven motors, tunnelling electrons from the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope have been used to drive the rotation of a simple rotor12 in a single direction and to move a four-wheeled molecule across a surface13. Here, we show that a stand-alone molecular motor adsorbed on a gold surface can be made to rotate in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction by selective inelastic electron tunnelling through different subunits of the motor. Our motor is composed of a tripodal stator for vertical positioning, a five-arm rotor for controlled rotations, and a ruthenium atomic ball bearing connecting the static and rotational parts. The directional rotation arises from sawtooth-like rotational potentials, which are solely determined by the internal molecular structure and are independent of the surface adsorption site.
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Wow… now THAT is cool.
Ultra cool.
Sorry to be picayune but the headline needs correction; the bearing element is the platinum-group element Ruthenium, not Rubidium.
REPLY: Yup, got my Ru’s and Rb’s mixed up. Thanks for pointing it out – Anthony
Duh! Anthony, it’s pretty transparent they’ve re-invented the “Ferrous Wheel”.
Max
That’s gotta be the must-have executive desk toy of 2013!
Amazing. Happy new year! Let’s all enjoy one last summer with an arctic ice cap.
“Duh! Anthony, it’s pretty transparent they’ve re-invented the “Ferrous Wheel”.
Max”
GROAN. In fact that goes down as the best (or worst) groaner of the 2012 year. You saved it on purpose just for the last day didn’t you? 🙂
“…and to move a four-wheeled molecule across a surface.”
That’s cool too. 🙂
Super cool,but one Q? Are they moving on a molecular plane,or sub-atomic? Didn’t see an answer in the abstract.
How can I keep from losing a four-wheel drive molecule on my desk when I can’t even find my SUV in a parking lot.
Brilliant and ingenious but I think ‘motor’ as we normally use it, is not quite the right word here because it takes a ‘room sized’ tunnelling microscope to turn this ‘nano’ machine.
Call it a ‘nano-paddle’.
Still a fantastic achievement though.
Soon, “sweeping” a room for bugs will have to be done at the molecular level. That dust mote may be informing authorities that you are using an incandescent bulb.
They should make a fortune out of it. Then they will have a wheel of ….Sorry.
Cool stuff.
I think that this is a molecular carousel that uses an atomic bearing of Ruthenium and Iron atoms for driver motor. pg
Maybe these guys are assuming the mileage standards are going to really get tougher. Talk about compact cars…
Okay, show it running in a video from an electron-microscope, and I’ll believe it.
Ah, there is a huge scientific issue buried in this story. How do they really know?
No one can see atoms. Even our best AFM insrruments start to break down at this scale. Only one ruthenium atom? How about two? And they relied on complex computational models (read the supplemental information)….
BUT , the models agreed with experiment. The models incorporated all of known chemistry and physics. The experiment was replicable. All the details were published for anyone so inclined to attempt replication. Another words, even if ultimately wrong, still good science.
Now, why don’t those same tests apply to articles in sister journal Nature Climate Change?
Happy New Year to all.
How can you tell that you’re spending too much time in the lab: you say “anticlockwise” instead of counterclockwise.
{But, if you make jokes about anti-cylcones, are you waxing widdershines? Mod]
This ones over my head!
Bummer, hi-tech, but on my secosnd bottle of wine.
I will not be able to say anything inteleelgent, escept
HAPPY NEW YEWAR !!!!
[Do not drink and Dewar your heat threads! Mod]
Imagine this as a cell in an ASIC.
Think of the fantastic, imaginative innovation like this that has been bypassed in favour of (groan) global warming.
An outstanding achievement, if described accurately in the few short words. From little acorns, majestic oak trees grow.
Joe says:
December 31, 2012 at 3:28 pm
“That’s gotta be the must-have executive desk toy of 2013!”
Anyone who wants one of these, just send me a check for $499.95 and a self-addressed stamped envelope and I’ll send you one. Just open the envelope, dump it out on your desk and enjoy the amazed looks of your friends and coworkers ;o)
It gets me why these haven’t, aren’t being funded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOldJUHhjnc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PDeK6rprA4 I made one of these for the window in my car when parked in the sun amazing the change in temp’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR6Qait2JGY easy 2.5 volts
all we need to do is fund magnet tech’s, bigger stronger magnets and we will have free energy for our homes DC power from the metre box is the direction we should be heading. cheers and a happy new year to all.
REPLY: the don’t get funded because they are crap science scams, that’s why. – Anthony
John West, in Australia everybody says ‘anti-clockwise’. If you said ‘counter-clockwise’, people would be looking for a counter, or otherwise simply looking confused.
If it is true, this discovery gets 10 points for niftiness but 0 for usefulness, so far. I agree that calling it a motor is premature. Whether niftiness is transformed into utility remains to be seen. But, it’s a great story, and much better than the usual ‘scientific’ news we get on the MSM, like the latest Superfood or why some plant or critter is doomed thanks to evil humans.
Happy New Year to all!