A MOLECULE that can be made to twist from one shape to another could become a powerful motor for use in future nanomachines. Unlike previous molecular motors based on biomolecules, which needed the biochemical fuel adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to function (
The new molecule is of a type known as a metallacarborane. It consists of a nickel atom attached to carborane structures, each consisting of a pair of carbon atoms and several hydrogen and boron atoms, which sit either side of the nickel atom like two birdcages.
The molecule begins in an untwisted state, with an overall neutral charge. In this state, the molecule is most stable in what is called a
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