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Another model nanosystem, this one involving 75,000 atoms. Authors designed a tiny fluid control valve that won a design prize in the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing's 2002 prizes in computational nanotechnology. Authors coupled molecular mechanics with classical chemical engineering principles, because treating every atom quantum mechanically would use prohibitively expensive amounts of computer time and power.
The valve, no more than 55 nm long, consists of a cantilever positioned over a single-walled carbon nanotube. The top portion of the cantilever is functionalized with a monolayer of acrylic acid, which causes the cantilever to bend with change in solvent pH. When the cantilever bends, it crimps the nanotube, restricting the flow of fluid.
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