When the size of a machine approaches the nanometer scale, thermal fluctuations become large compared to the energies that drive the motor. The control of motion at the nanoscale therefore requires physical understanding and technical approaches that are fundamentally different from those that are successful at the macroscale. This volume provides an introduction to the state-of-the-art of controlled nanoscale motion in biological and artificial systems. Topics include the control and function of protein motors, the physics of non-equilibrium Brownian motion, and the physics and fabrication of synthetic molecular motors. The chapters in this book are based on selected contributions on the 2005 Nobel Symposium to Controlled Nanoscale Motion and are written by leading experts in their fields.

This volume provides an introduction to the state-of-the-art of controlled nanoscale motion in biological and artificial systems. Coverage includes the control and function of protein motors, the physics of non-equilibrium Brownian motion, and the physics and fabrication of synthetic molecular motors. The chapters in this book are based on selected contributions on the 2005 Nobel Symposium on Controlled Nanoscale Motion.

The second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty ?rst have been characterized by the most impressive industrial revolution ever seen. In - proximately 40years, the complexity of integrated circuits (ICs) has increased by a 9 factor of 10 , with a corresponding reduction of the cost per bit by eight orders of magnitude. Not only has this evolution allowed dramatic progress in allscienti?c ?elds (large computers, space probes, etc.), but also has fueled the economic development with the raise of new markets (personal computers, cellular phones, etc.) and even social revolutions (world wide web, global village, etc.). In last years, however, the situation has signi?cantly changed: the continuous scaling down of device size has eventually brought the IC major technique, p- tolithography, to its limits. Overcoming its original limits has been proved to be possible, but the price to pay for that has changed the playing rules – while at the beginning of the IC history the evolution was driven by technology, now it is driven by economy, the cost of a medium size production plant being in the range of a few billion dollars.

When the size of a machine approaches the nanometer scale, thermal fluctuations become large compared to the energies that drive the motor. The control of motion at the nanoscale therefore requires physical understanding and technical approaches that are fundamentally different from those that are successful at the macroscale.This volume provides an introduction to the state-of-the-art of controlled nanoscale motion in biological and artificial systems. Topics include the control and function of protein motors, the physics of non-equilibrium Brownian motion, and the physics and fabrication of synthetic molecular motors.The chapters in this book are based on selected contributions on the 2005 Nobel Symposium to Controlled Nanoscale Motion and are written by leading experts in their fields.

Nanomachines represent one of the most fascinating topics in of nanotechnology. These tiny devices provide diverse opportunities towards a wide range of important applications, ranging from targeted delivery of drug payloads to environmental remediation. This book addresses comprehensively the latest developments and discoveries in the field of nano- and microscale machines. It covers the evolution of nanomachines in general from a historical perspective, the fundamental challenges for motion at the nanoscale, different categories of biological and synthetic nano/microscale motors based on different propulsion mechanisms, ways for controlling the movement directionality and regulated speed, followed by detailed of major areas for which nanomachines has the potential to make a transformational impact. It ends with a futuristic look at nano/microscale machines and into their impact on the society. Key Features: * The only nanomachine introductory textbook currently available. * Written with college graduate level in mind to appeal to a broad interdisciplinary audience. * Covers the fundamental challenges for nanoscale motion. * Covers the latest advances in the design and operaton of a wide range of small-scale machines. * Covers diverse biomedical, environmental and technological applications of nanomachines. * Written in review format with cited articles to cover latest research and developments.

This book provides an updated review on the development of scanning probe microscopy and related techniques, and the availability of computational techniques not even imaginable a few decades ago. The 36 chapters cover instrumental aspects, theoretical models and selected experimental results, thus offering a broad panoramic view on fundamental issues in nanotribology which are currently being investigated. Compared to the first edition, several topics have been added, including triboluminescence, graphene mechanics, friction and wear in liquid environments, capillary condensation, and multiscale friction modeling. Particular care has been taken to avoid overlaps and guarantee the independence of the chapters. In this way, our book aims to become a key reference on this subject for the next five to ten years to come.