ja310365k_si_006.mpg (3.05 MB)
Optical Motion Control of Maglev Graphite
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posted on 2012-12-26, 00:00 authored by Masayuki Kobayashi, Jiro AbeGraphite has been known as a typical diamagnetic material
and can
be levitated in the strong magnetic field. Here we show that the magnetically
levitating pyrolytic graphite can be moved in the arbitrary place
by simple photoirradiation. It is notable that the optical motion
control system described in this paper requires only NdFeB permanent
magnets and light source. The optical movement is driven by photothermally
induced changes in the magnetic susceptibility of the graphite. Moreover,
we demonstrate that light energy can be converted into rotational
kinetic energy by means of the photothermal property. We find that
the levitating graphite disk rotates at over 200 rpm under the sunlight,
making it possible to develop a new class of light energy conversion
system.