Directed motion of C60 on a graphene sheet subjected to a temperature gradient

Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the motion of a C-60 molecule on a graphene sheet subjected to a temperature gradient. The C-60 molecule is actuated and moves along the system while it just randomly dances along the perpendicular direction. Increasing the temperature gradient increases the directed velocity of C-60. It is found that the free energy decreases as the C-60 molecule moves toward the cold end. The driving mechanism based on the temperature gradient suggests the construction of nanoscale graphene-based motors.