Smart Materials May Find New Option with Light-Powered MicromotorJeffrey Heimgartner posted on March 04, 2020 | Researchers have developed a 5mm micromotor powered by light.

When it comes to converting energy into movement, rotary motors have proven their worth. As new innovations and technology continue to get smaller in size, miniaturizing these kinds of motors has been a focus for researchers at the University of Warsaw. Working with colleagues from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou, China, the Institute of Applied Physics at Military University of Technology in Warsaw, and the Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials of Polish Academy of Sciences in Zabrze, Poland, the team developed a micromotor powered by light that could potentially make it easier to miniaturize other components.

Movie of the 5.5 mm diameter micromotor, driven by a rotating laser beam. (Source: UW Physics, Mikoaj Rog)

Despite low speed, around one rotation per minute, our motor allows us to look at the micromechanics of intelligent soft materials from a different perspective and gives food for thought when it comes to their potential use, said Klaudia Dradrach, Photonic Nanostructure Facility.

A 5mm diameter micromotor rotor, made of specially oriented polymer film, fits on a pencil tip. (Image courtesy of the University of Warsaw, Piotr Wasylczyk.)

Since LCEs are considered a smart material, which can be fabricated in a multitude of ways and sizes, the new motor could open doors for new innovations. The new motor, along with the right orientation of the LCEs, could help power and control robotic components with light. It also has the potential to change how wearable smart materials could be made and operate.

With the success of their current micromotor, the researchers are now focusing their efforts on light-controlled microtools and long-range linear actuators.

Interested in more ways tiny innovations are set to make a big difference? Check out Nanoparticles Pave the Way for a Million-Mile EV Battery and Composite Enhancing Nano-Barrier Could Change Spacecraft Construction.

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Smart Materials May Find New Option with Light-Powered Micromotor - ENGINEERING.com