A collaboration of researchers in France, Japan and the United States have developed a new nanosized propeller which can act as gears. This propeller, when bound to a gold surface, can be activated through thermal, electrical or mechanical energy to spin unidirectionally either clockwise or counterclockwise. Its compatibility with solid state surfaces planar technology suggests this propeller can be used to build more efficient devices for electronics or mechanics applications.
Click here for original story, A 2 nm sized nanomachine able to spin and transfer its rotational energy
Source: ScienceDaily