One of the goals of nanotechnology is to develop complex molecular machines that can be operated in a solid-state environment. This talk will present molecular motors and molecular linear transport devices operating in the quantum regime on materials surfaces. Fundamental operations of these machines are investigated in an atomically clean environment using low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, and molecular manipulations[1], [2]. These investigations reveal how charge and energy transfer are taken place within single molecule machines and molecular networks. Moreover by introducing dipole active components in the rotor arms, communication among the molecular motors can be introduced. Synchronization of the motors can be achieved depending on the symmetry of the molecular assemblies and the strength of the electric field. Furthermore, individual molecular motors can be charged using the inelastic tunneling scheme. For a comparison with spintronics of molecular machines, we will also present anomalous Kondo resonance observed for the magnetic molecules adsorbed on graphene nanoribbons [3]. For the linear transport, the development of molecular hoverboards and molecular cars for a control transport at the nanoscale will be presented.

[1]    Y. Zhang, H. Kersell, R. Stefak, J. Echeverria, V. Iancu, U.G.E. Perera. Y. Li, A. Deshpande, K.-F. Braun, G. Rapenne, C. Joachim, and S.-W. Hla. Simultaneous and coordinated rotational switching of all molecular rotors in a network, Nature Nanotechnology 11, 706 (2016).
[2]    U.G.E. Perera. F. Ample, H. Kersell, Y. Zhang, G. Vives, J. Echeverria, M. Grisolia, G. Rapenne, C. Joachim, and S.-W. Hla. Controlled clockwise and anticlockwise rotational switching of a molecular motor, Nature Nanotechnology 8, 46 (2013).
[3]    Y. Li, A. Ngo, A. DiLullo, K.Z. Latt, H. Kersell, B. Fisher, P. Zapol, S.E. Ulloa, and S.-W. Hla. Anomalous Kondo resonance mediated by semiconducting graphene nanoribbons in a molecular heterostructure, Nature Communications 8, 946 (2017).