Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.
J Chem Phys. 2013 Jan 14;138(2):020901. doi: 10.1063/1.4773981.
Self-propelled nanomotors use chemical energy to produce directed motion. Like many molecular motors they suffer strong perturbations from the environment in which they move as a result of thermal fluctuations and do not rely on inertia for their propulsion. Such tiny motors are the subject of considerable research because of their potential applications, and a variety of synthetic motors have been made and are being studied for this purpose. Chemically powered self-propelled nanomotors without moving parts that rely on asymmetric chemical reactions to effect directed motion are the focus of this article. The mechanisms they use for propulsion, how size and fuel sources influence their motion, how they cope with strong molecular fluctuations, and how they behave collectively are described. The practical applications of such nanomotors are largely unrealized and the subject of speculation. Since molecular motors are ubiquitous in biology and perform a myriad of complex tasks, the hope is that synthetic motors might be able to perform analogous tasks. They may have the potential to change our perspective on how chemical dynamics takes place in complex systems.
自推进纳米马达利用化学能产生定向运动。像许多分子马达一样，它们在运动过程中会受到环境的强烈干扰，这是由于热涨落造成的，并且它们的推进并不依赖于惯性。由于其潜在的应用，这些微小的马达引起了相当多的研究，并且已经制造出了各种合成马达，并正在为此目的进行研究。本文重点介绍了无运动部件的、依靠不对称化学反应来实现定向运动的化学动力自推进纳米马达。文中描述了它们用于推进的机制、尺寸和燃料源如何影响它们的运动、它们如何应对强烈的分子波动以及它们如何集体表现。这种纳米马达的实际应用在很大程度上还没有实现，只是一种推测。由于分子马达在生物学中无处不在，并且执行着无数复杂的任务，因此人们希望合成马达能够执行类似的任务。它们有可能改变我们对复杂系统中化学动力学如何发生的看法。
