Electrostatically Driven Nanoballoon Actuator

This time we show that collapsed carbon nanotubes can be easily and reliable cycled between their inflated and collapsed states by electrically charging the nanotubes forming nanoballoon actuators. The work has been developed in close collaboration with the research group of Prof. Zettl from the University of California, Berkeley. The results have been published in the journal of Nano Letters.

Hamid Reza Barzegar, Aiming Yan, Sinisa Coh, Eduardo Gracia-Espino, Gabriel Dunn, Thomas Wågberg, Steven G. Louie, Marvin L. Cohen, and Alex Zettl.
Nano Lett., DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b02394

Abstract

We demonstrate an inflatable nanoballoon actuator based on geometrical transitions between the inflated (cylindrical) and collapsed (flattened) forms of a carbon nanotube. In situ transmission electron microscopy experiments employing a nanoelectromechanical manipulator show that a collapsed carbon nanotube can be reinflated by electrically charging the nanotube, thus realizing an electrostatically driven nanoballoon actuator. We find that the tube actuator can be reliably cycled with only modest control voltages (few volts) with no apparent wear or fatigue. A complementary theoretical analysis identifies critical parameters for nanotube nanoballoon actuation.