Cars, washing machines, and more are all powered by a motor. A field of science is working on tiny motors that could be used to power a network of small machines.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering created the first ever solid-state optical nano motor. Most real-world applications were held back by the solution of the previous versions of the light-driven motor.
An associate professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering said that life began in the water. These micromotors have always lived in solution work on land.
The researchers think these motor will power a lot of things. Dust and other particles can be picked up by the spinning motion. Drug delivery devices could be powered by them. They could power small drones and other mini-vehicles.
The new motor has a width of less than 100 nanometers and can spin on a solid surface. It can be used as an engine to convert light into mechanical energy.
Brownian Motion is one of the biggest obstacles holding back implementation of these devices. Water molecule pushes the little motor off their spin. The bigger the motor, the stronger it becomes. The solution is removed from the equation side
There is a field of miniature power sources. They are a middle ground between the smaller machines at the smaller end and the bigger machines at the larger end.
Researchers are trying to figure out the fundamental science to make these tiny motors more viable through increased efficiency.
Some of the most important biological structures are mimicked by the tiny motor. The cells are helped to move by the motor that drives the division. They work together to help organisms.
The lead author of this study is a graduate student from the group.
Taking the motors out of the solution and putting them on the chips has the potential to replace batteries in some instances.
There is a thin layer of phase change material on the surface. When exposed to light, the thin film can change from a solid to a liquid state. The phase change reduces the force of the motor.
This was the first demonstration of the motor. Researchers will continue to improve their creation by making them more stable and controllable, which will lead to converting light to mechanical energy at higher rates.
More information: Jingang Li et al, Opto-Thermocapillary Nanomotors on Solid Substrates, ACS Nano (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c09800 Journal information: ACS Nano
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