World’s Smallest Electric Motor Is 1 Nanometer Across!

Tufts University researchers have developed world’s smallest electric motor. Guinness book lists a 200 nm wide motor as the world’s smallest, but now the new ‘molecular electric motor’ will replace it. In case you are unable to figure out how tiny it is, we’re happy to inform you that a single strand of human hair is whooping 60000 nm wide. The research engineers published a paper detailing the new electric motor in Nature Nanotechnology on September 4. This new tiny device is capable of finding applications in various domains from medicine to engineering. The low temperature scanning and tunneling microscope at Tufts University was instrumental in development of the motor.
The researchers say that the molecular motors, especially the single molecule motors is not a new concept. However, until now, these motors were driven either by chemicals or light. However, a molecular motor powered by electric charge opens various avenues of development in this field of technology. With the help of scanning tunneling microscope, researchers were able to land on a single molecule and then measure it and spin it. The researchers used this microscope to to provide electric charge to butyl methyl sulfide molecule placed on a copper plate.

Illustration: Sykes Laboratory

The interconnected atoms, the researchers demonstrated, can act as interlocking cogs. These can be used as gears so that when one molecule rotates, it can rotate adjoining ones as well. For the detailed functioning of the motor, check out the official page on Tufts University Website.

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