Micrometer-Scale Translation and Monitoring of Individual Nanocars on Glass

Khatua, Saumyakanti; Guerrero, Juan M.; Claytor, Kevin; Vives, Guillaume; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B.; Tour, James M.; Link, Stephan

doi:10.1021/nn800798a

Cited by 70 publications

(126 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…Since molecular NEMs and nanomechanical devices have shown potential applications in future technologies [2][3][4], the rotational and translational dynamics of these nanoflakes, in particular graphene flakes ("nano" will be omitted in the rest of the text) and molecules have been brought into focus [2,[5][6][7][8][9]. Like an atom switch [10], these single molecules have been shown to execute controlled rotation or translation through the electrical bias exerted by the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope [3,4,11,12]. Additionally, the configurations of the molecules, as well as their dynamics on the monolayer structures, have been imaged clearly by STM [13][14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tunable dynamics of a flake on graphene: Libration frequency

Aktürk

Gürel

et al. 2017

Phys. Rev. B

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In this paper we investigated the interaction between a graphene nanoflake anchored to the 2D graphene monolayer. This interaction is attractive but weak and is capable of setting a well defined registry in equilibrium. Rotational and linear displacements from equilibrium registry generate restoring forces, which can be controlled by external agents. Similar flakes can be self-assembled and can also execute simple harmonic motion as if a physical pendulum. Oscillation of a nanoflake about their equilibrium registries resulting in a characteristic libration frequency is predicted. This frequency depends on the size and geometry of the flake. Moreover, the libration frequency, as well as the electronic and magnetic properties of the flake+monolayer systems, can be tuned by a foreign molecule anchored to the flake, by electric charging and applied parallel and perpendicular electric and magnetic fields. When the sliding of the flake is combined with rotation, the friction force can be reduced dramatically. It is surprising that weak interaction can offer such features at nanoscale, which may offer potential applications. Our predictions are obtained by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tunable dynamics of a flake on graphene: Libration frequency

Aktürk

Gürel

et al. 2017

Phys. Rev. B

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“…In addition, biological motors typically function most efficiently in close association with some surfaces 29,31. Rotational dynamics of surface-mounted molecules has been studied by several experimental methods that include scanning tunneling microscopy (STM),29–32,38,39 inelastic electron tunneling (IET),40–44 and single-molecule fluorescence imaging 4531,46,47 and molecular mechanics (MM)48,49 computer simulations, quantum-chemical density-functional studies33,50 and fundamental thermodynamic approaches 51,52…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Single-Molecule Rotations on Surfaces that Depend on Symmetry, Interactions, and Molecular Sizes

Akimov

Kolomeisky

2010

J. Phys. Chem. C

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Rotating surface-mounted molecules have attracted attention of many research groups as a way to develop new nanoscale devices and materials. However, mechanisms of motion of these rotors at the single-molecule level are still not well understood. Theoretical and experimental studies on thioether molecular rotors on gold surfaces suggest that the size of the molecules, their flexibility and steric repulsions with the surface are important for dynamics of the system. A complex combination of these factors leads to the observation that the rotation speeds have not been hindered by increasing the length of the alkyl chains. However, experiments on diferrocene derivatives indicated that a significant increase in the rotational barriers for longer molecules. We present here a comprehensive theoretical study that combines molecular dynamics simulations and simple models to investigate what factors influence single-molecule rotations on the surfaces. Our results suggest that rotational dynamics is determined by the size and by the symmetry of the molecules and surfaces, and by interactions with surfaces. Our theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement with current experimental observations.

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“…Pertinent applications include probes for microviscosity, 8 signal processing, 9-12 tunable dielectrics, 13-15 directed nano-and microscale translational [16][17][18] and rotational 19 motion and possibly the exertion of controlled nanomechanical forces 20 and ultimately nanopumps and valves. Moreover, such systems are fertile ground for uncovering new paradigms in molecular motion at interfaces.…”

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confidence: 99%