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Fullerene Nanogears Main Content
NASA Center: Ames Research Center
Image # : A-NAS-NANOGEARS
Date : 04/01/1997

Title

Fullerene Nanogears

Full Description

The Numerical Aerospace Simulation Systems Division (NAS) of the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California is conducting research into molecular-sized devices known as Nanotechnology. This photograph depicts two "Fullerene Nano-gears" with multiple teeth. The hope is that one day, products can be constructed made of thousands of tiny machines that could self-repair and adapt to the environment in which they exist. Researchers have simulated attaching benzyne molecules to the outside of a nanotube to form gear teeth. Nanotubes are molecular-sized pipes made of carbon atoms. To "drive" the gears, the supercomputer simulated a laser that served as a motor. The laser creates an electric field around the nanotube. A positively charged atom is placed on one side of the nanotube, and a negatively charged atom on the other side. The electric field drags the nanotube around like a shaft turning. Jie Han, Al Globus, Richard Jaffe and Glenn Deardorff are the authors of a technical paper detailing this technology which appears in The Journal of Nanotechnology.

Keywords

Numerical Aerospace Simulation Systems Division NAS Ames Research Center Nanotechnology Supercomputer Fullerene Nanotube Nanogears Jie Han Al Globus Richard Jaffe Glenn Deardorff

Subject Category

Computers,

Reference Numbers

  • Center: AMES
  • Center Number: A-NAS-NANOGEARS
  • GRIN DataBase Number: GPN-2000-001535

Source Information

  • Creator/Photographer: NASA
  • Original Source: DIGITAL

Image Information ( Copyright Notification )

Resolution Format Width
(Pixels)		 Height
(Pixels)		 Size
(KBytes)
Thumbnail .jpg 91 72 7
Small .jpg 649 513 124
Medium .jpg 1522 1202 520
Large .jpg 3044 2404 2,442

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