It was developed by the Sykes group and scientists at the Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences and published online September 4, 2011.
Electrons quantum tunneling from the STM tip electrically excite molecular vibrations, which couple to rotational modes.
[7] The rotation of the motor can be controlled by adjusting the electron flux from the scanning tunneling microscope and the background temperature.
[10] When the temperature is raised to 8 K, the molecule starts rotating along six orientations determined by the hexagonal structure of the copper it is adsorbed on.
When the butyl tail is nearest to the tip of the microscope, the tunneling current would be maximum and vice versa.