Also: molecular motors, nanocar, Feringa
Single molecules designed to rotate or move when given energy (recognised by the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry).
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Koumura and colleagues reported repeated one-way rotation around a carbon–carbon double bond, driven by UV light and heat in four steps.
As reported in: Koumura, Zijlstra, van Delden et al. (1999). Light-driven monodirectional molecular rotor. Nature. doi:10.1038/43646
Kudernac and colleagues built a molecule with four rotary motor units that moved in one direction across a copper surface when driven by electrons from an STM tip.
As reported in: Kudernac, Ruangsupapichat, Parschau et al. (2011). Electrically driven directional motion of a four-wheeled molecule on a metal surface. Nature. doi:10.1038/nature10587