Understanding of actuator properties of carbon nanotubes bring micro machines closerNovember 26, 2007Development of measurement set-up for electromechanical analysis of bucky paper actuators Imagine machines smaller than microscopic in size working around us, in us and for us. Imagine them seeking out diseases, cleaning the environment and making the world a better place. Just as a car is a combination of a whole series of separate items, engine, suspension, wheels, electronics, chassis, etc, nanomachines too need to be constructed from a range of components. One such component is a type of actuator to open and close things, to absorb shock, lift or lower loads and provide other forms of linear movement. It is known that forms of carbon nanotubes can function as actuators, but thanks to some new research we have a better understanding of what they do and how well they do it.
A Fraunhofer Techologie-Entwicklungsgruppe based research team have published a paper looking at an actuation measurement set-up constructed to perform electromechanical characterization of bucky papers. Bucky papers are sheets of carbon nanotubes obtained via filtration process. The research paper has been published in a special edition of the open access journal, AZoJono*. This special edition of AZoJono features a number of papers from DESYGN-IT, the project seeking to secure Europe as the international scientific leader in the design, synthesis, growth, characterisation and application of nanotubes, nanowires and nanotube arrays for industrial technology. The researchers, Urszula Kosidlo, Daniel Georg Weis, Klaus Hying, Mohammad H. Haque and Ivica Kolaric, constructed a special measurement device and performed their tests in liquid electrolyte to allow the build up of the electrochemical double-layer, which is necessary for the actuation of carbon nanotubes. The measurements are performed with focus on the out-of-plane strain and stress generated by the structure of interest. The device they designed was found to be useful for characterising electromechanical properties of bucky paper. Using their device, they were able to determine the dependence on applied voltage, electrolyte used as well as performance under additional load applied on the sample. They also concluded that to gain a better understanding of the actuation mechanism of bucky paper, galvanodynamic tests, current/charge controlled should be performed. The device that was used in this investigation is also suitable for this application. The article is available to view in full in AZoJono at http://www.azonano.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=2043 AZoNetwork Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size. Acne Electricity Rem Sleep Gene Mutation Gene Mutations Plastic Surgery Antioxidant Auditory Cortex Solar Wind Galaxy Tumors Endothelial Cells Antibiotic Heart Failure Synthetic Biology Genome Sequencing Overweight Children Cigarettes Wildfires Fibromyalgia Insect Parkinson's disease Intelligence Biomolecules Emphysema
See More: Science News Tags | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Carbon Nanotube Current Events and Carbon Nanotube News Articles A Billion Year Ultra-Dense Memory Chip When it comes to data storage, density and durability have always moved in opposite directions - the greater the density the shorter the durability. Inexpensive plastic used in CDs could improve aircraft, computer electronics If one University of Houston professor has his way, the inexpensive plastic now used to manufacture CDs and DVDs will one day soon be put to use in improving the integrity of electronics in aircraft, computers and iPhones. UCLA researchers develop new method for producing transparent conductors Researchers at UCLA have developed a new method for producing a hybrid graphene-carbon nanotube, or G-CNT, for potential use as a transparent conductor in solar cells and consumer electronic devices. UCLA physicists create world's smallest incandescent lamp In an effort to explore the boundary between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics - two fundamental yet seemingly incompatible theories of physics - a team from the UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy has created the world's smallest incandescent lamp. Sandia researchers construct carbon nanotube device that can detect colors of the rainbow Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created the first carbon nanotube device that can detect the entire visible spectrum of light, a feat that could soon allow scientists to probe single molecule transformations, study how those molecules respond to light, observe how the molecules change shapes, and understand other fundamental interactions between molecules and nanotubes. Nanoribbons from sliced open nanotubes: new, faster, more accurate method from Stanford A world of potential may lie tied up in graphene nanoribbons, particularly for electronics applications. But researchers have been hampered in their efforts to fully explore that potential because they had no reliable way of creating the large quantities of uniform nanoribbons needed to conduct extensive studies. New 'near-field' radiation therapy promises relief for overheating laptops Our modern age has become accustomed to regular improvements in information technology, says Slava Rotkin, but these advances do not come without a cost. UB Engineers Prove That Carbon Nanotubes Are Superior to Metals for Electronics In the quest to pack ever-smaller electronic devices more densely with integrated circuits, nanotechnology researchers keep running up against some unpleasant truths: higher current density induces electromigration and thermomigration, phenomena that damage metal conductors and produce heat, which leads to premature failure of devices. Nanotubes find niche in electric switches New research from Rice University and the University of Oulu in Oulu, Finland, finds that carbon nanotubes could significantly improve the performance of electrical commutators that are common in electric motors and generators. UConn chemists find secret to increasing luminescence efficiency of carbon nanotubes Chemists at the University of Connecticut have found a way to greatly increase the luminescence efficiency of single-walled carbon nanotubes, a discovery that could have significant applications in medical imaging and other areas. More Carbon Nanotube Current Events and Carbon Nanotube News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||