NANOTUBE-BASED MOLECULAR MOTORS

I will discuss recent advances at Berkeley in the design, construction, and operation of nanoscale electronic and electromechanical devices, including the world's smallest synthetic electric motors. One motor design uses a multiwall carbon nanotube as a rotational bearing, allowing low-level voltages to fully control the angular position of an ultra-small metal plate rotor. Another successful design concerns a linear molecular motor, with both carbon nanotubes and nanocrystals playing central functional roles. I will address relevant novel underlying physics of carbon and boron nitride nanotubes, including electric field effects and energy dissipation.