World's smallest microphone is made from a single molecule

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World's smallest microphone is made from a single molecule
Posted by: Deepak Kumar
Scientists have invented the world’s smallest microphone, made from a single molecule.
A team of scientists from Lund University in Sweden has figured out how to turn a single molecule into a microphone by making it capable of detecting the vibrations produced by sound waves.
This minuscule microphone works by embedding a single molecule of a substance called dibenzoterrylene (DBT) in a tiny crystal of a hydrocarbon material called anthracene. When the crystal is exposed to sound waves, the DBT molecule is disturbed by the vibrations, and it vibrates in response.
"This movement changes the interaction between the electron clouds of DBT and anthracene, which ultimately result in a slight shift in DBT's fluorescence,” explains Sarah Zhang at Gizmodo. "By tracking the fluorescence of just a single molecule of DBT, the scientists could track the frequency of the sound."
Right now, the mini-microphone only works in a very specific environment - the surrounding temperature must always be super-cold because warm temperatures can cause the molecule to move around too much - but the team is now working on making it more flexible. They don’t see their device being included in any high-tech spy kits any time soon, but they do intend for it to be used in physics labs to spot nanoscale movements in both chemical and biological systems. “A tiny sensor for tiny things,” as Zhang puts it.
The research is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.