Nanocar
The Nanocar is a development from Rice University ( Houston , Texas ). It is a 3 × 4 nanometer formation of atoms arranged as a vehicle.
The chassis was made of carbon atoms in an H-shape, creating 2 axes and a connection between them. At the ends of the axles, fullerenes of the carbon atom C 60 were attached as wheels. Rolling could be demonstrated by the fact that the vehicle can be moved more easily in the longitudinal direction than transversely to the wheels. To do this, it is placed on a high-purity gold surface heated to 200 ° C. This reduces the electrical binding forces that would otherwise prevent rolling.
Tests with a three-wheel variant showed that the vehicle then moves in a circle.