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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Construction and Operation of a Light-driven Gold Nanorod Rotary Motor System

Construction and Operation of a Light-driven Gold Nanorod Rotary Motor System

Published on: June 30, 2018

Light-driven nanoscale plasmonic motors.

Ming Liu¹, Thomas Zentgraf, Yongmin Liu

¹NSF Nano-scale Science and Engineering Center, 3112 Etcheverry Hall, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.

Nature Nanotechnology

|July 6, 2010

Summary

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Researchers created a nanoscale plasmonic structure that generates rotational force from light. This light-driven rotation can control microdisk movement, enabling new nanoscale applications in physics and biology.

Area of Science:

Nanotechnology
Optics
Physics

Background:

The historical radiometer (light-mill) was once thought to demonstrate photon momentum, but was later attributed to thermal effects.
Despite this, the pursuit of harnessing photon momentum for rotational forces at the nanoscale persisted due to potential applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate a nanoscale plasmonic structure capable of generating rotational force from light.
To explore the control of rotation velocity and direction using incident light properties.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a nanoscale plasmonic structure.
Illumination of the structure with linearly polarized light.
Observation of the induced rotation of a larger silica microdisk.

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Utilization of Plasmonic and Photonic Crystal Nanostructures for Enhanced Micro- and Nanoparticle Manipulation

Utilization of Plasmonic and Photonic Crystal Nanostructures for Enhanced Micro- and Nanoparticle Manipulation

Published on: September 27, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Construction and Operation of a Light-driven Gold Nanorod Rotary Motor System

Construction and Operation of a Light-driven Gold Nanorod Rotary Motor System

Published on: June 30, 2018

Light-driven Molecular Motors on Surfaces for Single Molecular Imaging

Light-driven Molecular Motors on Surfaces for Single Molecular Imaging

Published on: March 13, 2019

Utilization of Plasmonic and Photonic Crystal Nanostructures for Enhanced Micro- and Nanoparticle Manipulation

Utilization of Plasmonic and Photonic Crystal Nanostructures for Enhanced Micro- and Nanoparticle Manipulation

Published on: September 27, 2011

Main Results:

The nanoscale plasmonic structure successfully generated rotational force, driving a silica microdisk 4,000 times its volume.
Rotation velocity and direction were controllable by tuning the wavelength of the incident light to excite specific plasmonic modes.

Conclusions:

A novel nanoscale plasmonic system can effectively convert light into rotational mechanical motion.
This technology offers potential for advanced nanoscale applications in fields like DNA sequencing and nanoelectromechanical systems.