Molecular brakes for nanotechnology machines
June 5, 2008 | Source: Nanowerk Spotlight
National Taiwan University researchers and their colleagues have designed a light-driven molecular brake that could provide on-demand stopping power for nanotech machines.
The brake resembles a tiny four-bladed wheel (a rigid pentiptycene group) and contains light-sensitive molecules. The paddle-like structure spins freely when a nanomachine is in motion. Exposing the structure to light changes its shape so that the blades stop spinning.