About 150 years ago, nanoengines were just a concept put forward by the visionary, but researchers have now created miniature engines that could lead to the birth of microscopic nanocomputers.
Scott Klein Maxwell first imagined an atomic-level device in 1867, nicknamed "Maxwell Demon".
Now, scientists at the University of Edinburgh in the UK have turned it into reality. David Lily, a professor of chemistry at the university, said, "We have a new engine mechanism for nanocomputers."
A nanocomputer is an incredibly tiny device whose components are made up of many individual molecules. From the photosynthesis to moving muscles in the body and transmitting information through the cells, nanocomputers are naturally used. Scientists are working to unlock the secrets of nanoscale and nanotechnology for small scales.
One nanometer is equivalent to one billion molecules and one meter, which is about 80,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. David Lee said, "Molecular machines allow organisms to emerge on a molecular standard. To achieve the goal of using artificial molecular machines to do that, our new engine mechanism is just a small step."
His mechanical device is capable of capturing particles of molecular size that pass through it. As Maxwell had predicted a long time ago, it does not require energy because light can power it.
David Lee, who published the study in Nature, said, "Although light was previously used to directly energize tiny particles, a system was designed to capture natural movements in a particular direction. The molecule is still the first time," he added. "Once these molecules are captured, they cannot escape."
When David Lee praised Maxwell, he said that he created the basic principles of understanding how light, heat, and molecules operate.
Domesticated "Maxwell Demon"
As early as the early 19th century, Kluck Maxwell envisioned a well-known "Maxwell Demon", a hypothetical creature that keeps the system out of balance without the use of energy.
This "Maxwell Demon" guards a trapdoor, which is located between two separate gas-filled compartments that allow gas molecules to flow between the two compartments. The Maxwell demon can move fast-moving molecules on one track, while slow-moving molecules move on the other, until the fast-moving molecules heat a heating chamber.
This change in temperature, or far from equilibrium, has violated the second law of thermodynamics.
In a research article published in the journal Nature today, the researchers envisioned simulating this situation by creating a machine that is far from balanced without the use of energy. This machine can be operated by the force of the molecular ratchet moving forward in the natural motion state. But it needs light to fuel this movement.
An upward movement
In a previous study, David Lee and his team said that a nanocomputer can move a drop of water up by using the power of the molecule itself. Although this type of exercise is a small-scale exercise, it is a great advancement in learning how to make machines using man-made molecules.
This new type of engine mechanism will allow scientists to do something very similar to what a biological machine can do.
Scott Klein Maxwell first imagined an atomic-level device in 1867, nicknamed "Maxwell Demon".
Now, scientists at the University of Edinburgh in the UK have turned it into reality. David Lily, a professor of chemistry at the university, said, "We have a new engine mechanism for nanocomputers."
A nanocomputer is an incredibly tiny device whose components are made up of many individual molecules. From the photosynthesis to moving muscles in the body and transmitting information through the cells, nanocomputers are naturally used. Scientists are working to unlock the secrets of nanoscale and nanotechnology for small scales.
One nanometer is equivalent to one billion molecules and one meter, which is about 80,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. David Lee said, "Molecular machines allow organisms to emerge on a molecular standard. To achieve the goal of using artificial molecular machines to do that, our new engine mechanism is just a small step."
His mechanical device is capable of capturing particles of molecular size that pass through it. As Maxwell had predicted a long time ago, it does not require energy because light can power it.
David Lee, who published the study in Nature, said, "Although light was previously used to directly energize tiny particles, a system was designed to capture natural movements in a particular direction. The molecule is still the first time," he added. "Once these molecules are captured, they cannot escape."
When David Lee praised Maxwell, he said that he created the basic principles of understanding how light, heat, and molecules operate.
Domesticated "Maxwell Demon"
As early as the early 19th century, Kluck Maxwell envisioned a well-known "Maxwell Demon", a hypothetical creature that keeps the system out of balance without the use of energy.
This "Maxwell Demon" guards a trapdoor, which is located between two separate gas-filled compartments that allow gas molecules to flow between the two compartments. The Maxwell demon can move fast-moving molecules on one track, while slow-moving molecules move on the other, until the fast-moving molecules heat a heating chamber.
This change in temperature, or far from equilibrium, has violated the second law of thermodynamics.
In a research article published in the journal Nature today, the researchers envisioned simulating this situation by creating a machine that is far from balanced without the use of energy. This machine can be operated by the force of the molecular ratchet moving forward in the natural motion state. But it needs light to fuel this movement.
An upward movement
In a previous study, David Lee and his team said that a nanocomputer can move a drop of water up by using the power of the molecule itself. Although this type of exercise is a small-scale exercise, it is a great advancement in learning how to make machines using man-made molecules.
This new type of engine mechanism will allow scientists to do something very similar to what a biological machine can do.
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