This episode welcomes Dr. Jingang Li, a pioneer in the field of micro robotics and nanotechnology. We discuss the groundbreaking progress in motor miniaturization and its impact on areas like drug delivery, nanotechnology, and biomedical engineering.

Dr. Li introduces us to the world of light-driven opto-thermocapillary nanomotors (OTNMs). These nanomotors operate on solid substrates, where they are free from the interference of Brownian motion that affects their counterparts in liquid environments. The OTNMs can cause the orbital rotation of 80 nm gold nanoparticles around a laser beam, a feat accomplished by optically controlling particle–substrate interactions and thermocapillary actuation.

The remarkable characteristic of these nanomotors is their on-chip operation capability in ambient environments, making them potential light-dr ...