Significance tests on the output power of a thermally driven rotary nanomotor

Many factors can have a significant influence on the output power of a thermally driven rotary nanomotor made of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Making use of a computational molecular dynamics approach, we evaluate for the first time the output power of a nanomotor, considering some of the main factors including temperature, the diameter of the rotor and the number of IRD atoms (N) on the stator. When applying extra-resistant torque to the rotor to let the stable value of the rotational frequency of the rotor fluctuate near zero, the value of the resistant torque can be considered as the output power of the rotor. The effects of these factors on the output power of a motor are roughly predicted via a fitting approach. Using stepwise regression analysis, we discover that N has the greatest influence on the output power. The second and the third main factors that affect the output power of a nanomotor are the diameter of the rotor, and the interaction between N and the diameter, respectively. To improve the output power of a nanomotor, one can place more IRD atoms in the system and/or employ CNTs with larger diameters.