This article presents research work of various groups that are working on using nanotechnology in medical treatments. The researchers at Cornell University’s nanofabrication lab needed to make the propellers on the chip and harvest them, rather than rinse them off. After trial and error, the Cornell engineers came upon a workable combination of biochemical methods and fabrication. Mounting a 2-micrometer polystyrene sphere to the motor, the Cornell researchers made a mechanical amplifier to evaluate the motion of the FI-ATPase enzyme. The group made a small photosynthetic cell by installing the protein, bacteriorhodopsin, into liposomes. The protein converts light energy into chemical energy by synthesizing ATP. The ATP runs the motor and then gets recycled back to adenosine diphosphate in a closed chemical system. A nanotube bearing could provide frictionless rotation without wear.

You do not currently have access to this content.