Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Micro-scale opto-thermo-mechanical actuation in the dry adhesive regime Peer-Reviewed Publication

optical actuators operated in nonliquid environment with stepping resolution of sub-nanometers. The key of the actuation lies in exploiting thermoelastic waves induced by pulsed optical absorption in absorptive micro-objects to overcome friction force, which has been firstly pointed out in an earlier paper from the same group [Sci. Adv. 5, eaau8271 (2019)]. Here, based on their previous efforts, the researchers take this novel scheme to the next level.