Scientists from A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research andEngineering (IMRE), led by Professor Christian Joachim1, have scored abreakthrough in nanotechnology by becoming the first in the world to invent amolecular gear of the size of 1.2nm whose rotation can be deliberatelycontrolled. This achievement marks a radical shift in the scientific progress ofmolecular machines and is published on 15 June 20092 in Nature Materials3 ,one of the most prestigious journals in materials science.
Said Prof Joachim, "Making a gear the size of a few atoms is one thing,but being able to deliberately control its motions and actions is something elsealtogether. What we've done at IMRE is to create a truly complete workinggear that will be the fundamental piece in creating more complex molecularmachines that are no bigger than a grain of sand."
Prof Joachim and his team discovered that the way to successfullycontrol the rotation of a single-molecule gear is via the optimization ofmolecular design, molecular manipulation and surface atomic chemistry. Thiswas a breakthrough because before the team's discovery, motions ofmolecular rotors and gears were random and typically consisted of a mix ofrotation and lateral displacement. The scientists at IMRE solved this scientificconundrum by proving that the rotation of the molecule-gear could be wellcontrolledby manipulating the electrical connection between the molecule andthe tip of a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope while it was pinned on an atomaxis.
Said Dr Lim Khiang Wee, Executive Director of IMRE, "Christian andhis team's discovery shows that it may one day be possible to create and manipulate molecular-level machines. Such machines may, for example, walkon DNA tracks in the future to deliver therapeutics to heal and cure. Therealready exists at least one international roadmap for creating such productivenanosystems. As we push the frontiers of nanotechnology, we increase ourunderstanding of new phenomena at the nanoscale. This paper is a valuablestep on the long road to applying this understanding for discoveries andbreakthroughs in nanotechnology and bring to reality the tiny nanobots andnanomachines from science fiction movies."
Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore