Revolution in Nanotech: A Motor That’s 1/10,000th of a Millimeter

In a hand grip trainer, you squeeze the handles together against the resistance of the spring. Once you release your grip, the spring pushes the handles back to their original position. “Our motor uses a very similar principle,” explains Prof. Dr. Michael Famulok from the Life and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Bonn. “But the handles are not pressed together but rather pulled together.

For this purpose, the researchers have repurposed a mechanism without which there would be no plants or animals. Every cell is equipped with a sort of library. It contains the blueprints for all types of proteins that the cell needs to perform its function. If the cell wants to produce a certain type of protein, it orders a copy of the respective blueprint.

By monitoring individual nanomotors, one of the cooperation partners based in the US state of Michigan was able to demonstrate that they actually carry out the expected movement. A research group in Arizona also simulated the process on high-speed computers. The results could be used, for example, to optimize the motor to work at a particular pulsation rate.

Furthermore, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the motor can be easily combined with other structures. This should make it possible for it to, for example, wander across a surface – similar to an inchworm that pulls itself along a branch in its own characteristic style. “We are also planning to produce a type of clutch that will allow us to only utilize the power of the motor at certain times and otherwise leave it to idle,” explains Famulok.

Reference: “A rhythmically pulsing leaf-spring DNA-origami nanoengine that drives a passive follower” by Mathias Centola, Erik Poppleton, Sujay Ray, Martin Centola, Robb Welty, Julián Valero, Nils G. Walter, Petr Šulc and Michael Famulok, 19 October 2023,Alongside the University of Bonn, the other participants in the project were the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior , the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics , the University of Michigan and the Arizona State University .

Source: Car News Wire (carnewswire.net)

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