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Researchers at Harvard University have discovered a breakthrough in nanotechnology by using repulsive force to levitate a sphere, a discovery which they say may have a major impact on the expanding field of nanomechanics.
The so-called quantum levitation occurs by harnessing the repulsive forces resulting from bringing different molecules into close contact, explained the researchers. It’s analogous to the grammar school experiment of like poles on magnets repelling each other, but on a tiny scale, and involving different forces. Nanomechanics involves the creation of machines that operate on the molecular level.
Potentially, by being able to levitate one object over another without a support mechanism, technologists can reduce or suppress any potential friction in nano-sized devices, explained Federico Capasso, one of the researchers. Capasso is also a professor of applied physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The levitation experiment was conducted over the past four years and wrapped about six months ago.
“We have done the basic research,” said Capasso. “The next thing is to make a whole class of gizmos based on quantum levitation.”
Capasso explained that two surfaces of the same material separated by a vacuum or a liquid always attract each other with a quantum mechanical force. This becomes measurable when one surface is in the proximity of the tens of nanometers to the other. In the experiment, the researchers attached a miniature gold-plated sphere to a cantilever immersed in a “suitable” liquid. At the bottom of the vessel containing the liquid was a plate, also made of gold, and as the sphere came within 100 nanometers of the bottom, an attractive force was generated between the sphere and the plate. Next, the gold plate was replaced with a silica one. This deflected the cantilever in the opposite direction, signaling a repulsive force between the sphere and the plate, and creating the levitation effect. The deflection was measured by reflecting a laser off the cantilever, said Capasso.
Upbeat about the potential applications, the researchers intend to continue more levitation experimentation in the next six months, said Capasso. However, as with any new technology, it will take from five to 10 years for an actual commercial product to be available. He also said the researchers had already filed broad patent claims for nanodevices using quantum levitation and are seeking grant funding to support their continued research.
Conceptually, the idea of “going from attraction to repulsion” in tiny objects can lead to switch-enabled devices or batteries, said Adrian Parsegian, a researcher from the National Institutes of Health, who participated in the experiment. Eventually, the technology could enable the control of nano-components systematically within a device to create workflows.
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