Surface-rolling molecules.
Design, syntheses, and testing of new, fullerene-wheeled single molecular nanomachines, namely, nanocars and nanotrucks, are presented. These nanovehicles are composed of three basic components that include spherical fullerene wheels, freely rotating alkynyl axles, and a molecular chassis. The use of spherical wheels based on C60 and freely rotating axles based on alkynes permits directed nanoscale rolling of the molecular structure on gold surfaces. The rolling motion observed by STM resembles the same motion performed by macroscopic entities in which rolling occurs perpendicular to the axles. A new synthesis methodology, in situ ethynylation of fullerenes, was developed for the realization of the fullerene-wheeled molecular machines. Four generations of the fullerene-wheeled structures were developed, and the latest fourth generation nanocar, 3b, along with three-wheeled triangular compounds, 4a and 4b, provided definitive evidence for fullerene-based wheel-like rolling motion, not stick-slip or sliding translation. The studies here underscore the ability to control directionality of motion in molecular-sized nanostructures through precise molecular design and synthesis.
Shirai
Yasuhiro
Y
Departments of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, and Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
Osgood
Andrew J
AJ
Zhao
Yuming
Y
Yao
Yuxing
Y
Saudan
Lionel
L
Yang
Hanbiao
H
Yu-Hung
Chiu
C
Alemany
Lawrence B
LB
Sasaki
Takashi
T
Morin
Jean-François
JF
Guerrero
Jason M
JM
Kelly
Kevin F
KF
Tour
James M
JM