American scientists create the world's smallest engine

Alex Zettl, a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, recently used nanotubes and weathered silicon to make the world's smallest engine.
The engine is about 500 nanometers wide, which is equivalent to one-third of the human hair diameter. When it is running, the length of the engine "rotor" is between 100 and 300 nanometers.
The invention of the electrostatic motor marks a milestone for nanotechnology, demonstrating that nanotubes and other nanomaterials can be used by humans to create "real" devices. Zettl said that this engine has a wide range of uses. Because its "rotor" can be placed at any angle, it can be used in the field of photonic circuits to change the direction of photons. Because its "rotor" can quickly flip back and forth, it can be used to manufacture microwave oscillators. It can also be used to make spinners.
The research was published in the July 24 issue of Nature.
Zettl has uniquely created the world's smallest man-made bearing and mechanical switch, the world's smallest room temperature diode, and its own tube cube tube device with potential wire function.