Casimir-Polder force and torque for anisotropic molecules close to conducting planes and their effect on CO2

Abstract

We derive the Casimir-Polder force and Casimir torque expressions for an anisotropic molecule close to a conducting plane with a tensorial conductivity. We apply our general expressions to the case of a carbon dioxide CO2 molecule close to a plane with pure Hall conductivity and to graphene. We show that the equilibrium position of this linear molecule is with its main axis perpendicular to the surface. We hence conjecture a possible way to exploit the Casimir torque to mechanically improve the performance of CO2 separation membranes useful for an efficient atmospheric CO2 reduction.