Nanomotor

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Category: Delft in brief
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Take a flat molecule with opposing electrical charges on either end, place it between two gold plates and subject the whole thing to an alternating electric field. This is how Dr Ferry Prins and Jos Seldenthuis (Applied Sciences) are trying to create the smallest-ever electric motor, a motor with molecular dimensions. Chemist Prins feels very excited that current technology is making it possible to create devices at a molecular level. He was previously successful in creating a molecular switch (handy for even smaller memories) and a light-sensitive quantum dot that seems to offer potential for solar cell applications.