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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 9, 2025

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

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Published on: June 30, 2018

Uni- and Bidirectional Rotation and Speed Control in Chiral Photonic Micromotors Powered by Light.

Yera Ye Ussembayev^1,2, Noah De Witte¹, Xiaohong Liu³

¹LCP research group, Ghent University, Technologiepark 126, Gent, 9052, Belgium.

Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)

|February 16, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers demonstrated light-powered uni- and bidirectional rotation of chiral liquid crystalline microparticles. This breakthrough enables precise control over micro-rotary engines, paving the way for advanced soft robotics.

Keywords:

actuators liquid crystals microparticles optical torque optical tweezers sensors

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Last Updated: Aug 9, 2025

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Area of Science:

Soft Robotics
Materials Science
Photonics

Background:

Liquid crystalline polymers with azo dyes offer light-responsive actuation for soft robots.
Microscale manipulation of photoresponsive polymers is a developing field.
Chiral photonic microparticles present unique light-interaction properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate uni- and bidirectional rotation of polymerized azo-containing chiral liquid crystalline photonic microparticles.
To demonstrate light-powered actuation and speed control at the micrometer scale.
To explore the potential for creating light-controlled rotary microengines.

Main Methods:

Experimental and theoretical study of microparticle rotation in an optical trap.
Utilizing circularly polarized laser light to induce and control particle rotation.
Employing ultraviolet (UV) light to induce structural changes and modulate rotation speed.

Main Results:

Achieved uni- and bidirectional rotation of chiral polymer microparticles powered by light.
Demonstrated rotation rates of several hertz, controllable via laser polarization and UV-induced structural changes.
Observed recovery of rotation speed after UV illumination cessation.

Conclusions:

Provided evidence for controllable uni- and bidirectional motion in light-responsive polymer particles.
Established a method for precise speed control of micro-rotary motion using light.
Opened new avenues for developing light-controlled microengines for micrometer-scale applications.