title: Subnanometer motion of cargoes driven by thermal gradients along carbon nanotubes.
abstract: An important issue in nanoelectromechanical systems is developing small electrically driven motors. We report on an artificial nanofabricated motor in which one short carbon nanotube moves relative to another coaxial nanotube. A cargo is attached to an ablated outer wall of a multiwalled carbon nanotube that can rotate and/or translate along the inner nanotube. The motion is actuated by imposing a thermal gradient along the nanotube, which allows for subnanometer displacements, as opposed to an electromigration or random walk effect.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Investigacions en Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barreiro
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rurali
authors.forename: Eduardo R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pichler
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Forró
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bachtold