World's smallest electric motor developed at Tufts university

Tufts University Researchers have developed world's smallest electric motor – a single molecule electric motor which measures a mere nanometer across (1 nm = 10 raised to power -9 metres).

The invention published in a paper in Nature Nanotechnology on September 4 is a big feat. Just to give you an idea of how small the electic motor is, just know that a strand of hair measures around 60,000 nanometers.

The researchers believe that this could make the way for a new class of devices with uses in medicine and engineering.

Notably. the single molecule engines have been used before but they have only been powered either by light or chemicals, never by electricity. The new electric motor was achieved via a new low temperature scanning tunneling microscope, which allowed the researchers to power and control the molecule in a more effective way. --------

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