In 2006, Dr. Tony Huang, James Henderson Assistant Professor, and colleagues Dr. Chung-Chiun Liu of Case Western Reserve, Dr. Fraser Stoddart of UCLA and Dr. William Goddard of Caltech were awarded a four year grant from the National Science Foundation to explore a class of polymers called rotaxanes. Rotaxane's appeal as a bio-mechanical material stems from its ability to cross the boundaries of chemistry and physics at nanoscale. Through their research, Dr. Huang and colleagues were able to design molecular motors utilizing rotaxane’s.

Citing the near-term potential of these molecular motors, Huang says, "We use these motors to drive fluid like a pump. These days, microdevices are small but the power supply required is huge—today's micropumps require fifteen to twenty volts. These pumps require only .5 to 2 volts. That will help a lot of different applications."

To find out more about Dr. Tony Huang’s utilization of nanotechnology, more of his accomplishments and research, visit Research Penn State.