Design and construction of nanomotors are one of the most attractive fields in nanotechnology. Following the introduction of a novel concept of the thermomass, the relative mass of a phonon gas based on the Einstein’s energy–mass relation, the continuum and momentum conservation equations for the phonon gas are established to characterize the hydrodynamics of the phonon current in a solid. Like the gas flows in the porous mediums, the phonon current in a dielectric solid imposes a driving force on the solid framework atoms, which can be calculated quantitatively and can be applied to actuate nanomotors. We also predict the dynamic behavior of a nanomotor made up of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in terms of molecular dynamics simulations. A shorter single-walled carbon nanotube with a larger diameter, as a mobile part, surrounds a longer single-walled carbon nanotube with a smaller diameter working as a shaft. When a phonon current passes through the inner shaft, the outer nanotube will translate along and/or rotate around the shaft depending on the chiralities of the carbon nanotubes. The motion traces are found to depend on the chirality pair regularly. This type of nanomotor may be promising, because they are directly driven by thermal energy transport.
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A Novel Thermal Driving Force for Nanodevices
Zeng-Yuan Guo,
Zeng-Yuan Guo
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education,Department of Engineering Mechanics,Tsinghua University,
Beijing 100084, China
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Quan-Wen Hou,
Quan-Wen Hou
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education,Department of Engineering Mechanics,Tsinghua University,
Beijing 100084, China
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Bing-Yang Cao
e-mail: caoby@tsinghua.edu.cn
Bing-Yang Cao
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education,Department of Engineering Mechanics,Tsinghua University,
Beijing 100084, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Zeng-Yuan Guo
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education,Department of Engineering Mechanics,Tsinghua University,
Beijing 100084, China
Quan-Wen Hou
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education,Department of Engineering Mechanics,Tsinghua University,
Beijing 100084, China
Bing-Yang Cao
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education,Department of Engineering Mechanics,Tsinghua University,
Beijing 100084, China
e-mail: caoby@tsinghua.edu.cn
J. Heat Transfer. May 2012, 134(5): 051010 (6 pages)
Published Online: April 13, 2012
Article history
Received:
April 19, 2010
Revised:
May 10, 2010
Published:
April 11, 2012
Online:
April 13, 2012
Citation
Guo, Z., Hou, Q., and Cao, B. (April 13, 2012). "A Novel Thermal Driving Force for Nanodevices." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. May 2012; 134(5): 051010. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4005640
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