Moving objects at the nanoscale using thermal regions
Friday, August 11, 2017 - 05:52
in Physics & Chemistry
Researchers report that it is possible to move a nanoparticle on the surface of a graphene sheet by applying a temperature difference at the ends of the membrane—a nanocluster on the surface will drift from the hot region to the cold one. In addition, contrary to the macroscale physical laws, the force acting on the particle—the so-called thermophoretic force—should not decrease as the sheet length rises, instead sporting a so-called ballistic behavior, as a bullet in a gun barrel. In fact, simulations show that vertical thermal oscillations of the graphene membrane flow ballistically from hot to cold, providing a push to the object.