Nanoscale Submarine Powered by Light May Deliver Drugs in the Human Body

First Posted: Nov 18, 2015 11:24 AM EST

Scientists have created a nanoscale submarine that's powered by light. The tiny submersibles could be huge when it comes to delivering targeted medications in the future.

Each of the single-molecule, 244-atom submersibles that were built are powered by ultraviolet light. With each full revolution, the motor's tail-like propeller moves the sub forward 18 nanometers. With the motors running at more than a million RPM, that translates into a little less than an inch per second.

The tiny submersibles can't be steered just yet. However, the study showed that molecular motors are powerful enough to drive the tiny subs through solutions of moving molecules about the same size as they are. This is similar to a person walking across a basketball court with about 1,000 people throwing basketballs at the person, according to the researchers.

How do the motors work, though? They operate similar to a bacteria's flagellum, completing each revolution in four steps. When excited by light, the double bond that holds the rotor to the body becomes a single bond, allowing it to rotate a quarter step. As the motor seeks to return to a lower energy state, it jumps adjacent atoms for another quarter turn. As long as the light is on, this process repeats.

The researchers hope that in the future, these nanosubs may be able to carry cargoes for medical and other purposes. In theory, targeted, medical treatment could be delivered inside the human body with these tiny subs.

The findings are published in the journal Nano Letters.

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TagsNanotechnology, Nanoparticles, Molecule, Molecular, Molecules, Drug, Drugs, Treatment, Treatments