BEIJING: Chinese scientists from the Beijing Institute of Technology have achieved precise navigation of nano-kirigami microrotors for the first time by using innovative technologies such as optoelectronic tweezers with multimode control, providing new solutions for future advanced optoelectronic micro/nanomachines.
According to China Central Television (CCTV), micro/nano manufacturing denotes industrial technologies operating at the micro- and nanoscales. For example, the fabrication of microchips entails intricate and precise manufacturing processes at the nanoscale.
Professor Li Jiafang from the School of Physics demonstrated the manufacturing, extraction, transfer, and manipulation of nano-kirigami microrotors. Under a microscope, a rotor with a diameter of only 10 micrometres was erected from a flat state and rolled in different directions under the control of optoelectronic tweezers.
“We know that the optical tweezers won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. It has the capability to control translation i
n a back-and-forth manner and the rotational transmission of the structure. However, it did not realise the control of a motion state, which is rolling. In this work, we have successfully utilised optical techniques to achieve control over the rolling movement of the structure,” he explained.
Li also introduced that the size of a nano-kirigami microrotor is approximately one-tenth the diameter of a human hair. Such tiny components cannot be manufactured and manipulated using conventional machine tools like lathes. To overcome the challenge, they leveraged the unique physical properties of nano-kirigami and employed optoelectronic tweezers for non-contact manipulation. Furthermore, they achieved the automatic control of the microrotor by programming the optical beam patterns.
“First of all, it can be driven with optical techniques. Secondly, it can be assembled. For instance, it can be assembled into a double-sided structure or arranged in overlapping patterns to enable interactive and interconnected functio
nalities,” Li said.
Experts also stated that the achievement makes it easier for humans to control the complex movements of micro/nano devices, providing a fresh perspective for future research in areas such as optically driven micro/nano robots and novel micro/nano opto-electro-mechanical systems.
Source: Emirates News Agency