Chang Tienchong, Zhang Hongwei, Guo Zhengrong, Guo Xingming, Gao Huajian
State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China and Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, People's Republic of China.
Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, People's Republic of China.
Phys Rev Lett. 2015 Jan 9;114(1):015504. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.015504. Epub 2015 Jan 7.
How to induce nanoscale directional motion via some intrinsic mechanisms pertaining to a nanosystem remains a challenge in nanotechnology. Here we show via molecular dynamics simulations that there exists a fundamental driving force for a nanoscale object to move from a region of lower stiffness toward one of higher stiffness on a substrate. Such nanoscale directional motion is induced by the difference in effective van der Waals potential energy due to the variation in stiffness of the substrate; i.e., all other conditions being equal, a nanoscale object on a stiffer substrate has lower van der Waals potential energy. This fundamental law of nanoscale directional motion could lead to promising routes for nanoscale actuation and energy conversion.
如何通过与纳米系统相关的一些内在机制来诱导纳米级定向运动仍然是纳米技术中的一个挑战。在这里，我们通过分子动力学模拟表明，在基底上，纳米级物体存在从较低刚度区域向较高刚度区域移动的基本驱动力。这种纳米级定向运动是由基底刚度变化导致的有效范德华势能差异所诱导的；也就是说，在其他条件相同的情况下，较硬基底上的纳米级物体具有较低的范德华势能。这种纳米级定向运动的基本规律可能会为纳米级驱动和能量转换带来有前景的途径。
