Mini Motor: Synthetic molecule yields nanoscale rotor

Over the past several years, researchers have made great strides in creating synthetic molecules that act as rudimentary computer switches (SN: 9/20/03, p. 182: Available to subscribers at Molecular Memory: Carbon-nanotube device stores data in molecules). But making something that produces motion—a motor—has proved much trickier.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE. A bird’s-eye view of a molecular rotor (center cluster with green atoms) suspended between two large molecular stands of star-shaped bases that anchor the complex to a gold surface.