Abstract & Overview
Based on the Lifshitz theory we show that the illumination of one (Si) plate in the three-layer systems Au--ethanol--Si, Si--ethanol--Si and $α$-Al${}_2$O${}_3$--ethanol--Si with laser pulses can change the Casimir attraction to Casimir repulsion and vice versa. The proposed effect opens novel opportunities in nanotechnology to actuate the periodic movement in electro- and optomechanical micromachines based entirely on the zero-point oscillations of the quantum vacuum without the action of mechanical springs.