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SYNA: Carbon Nanotubes
SYNA X: HV X
SYNA X.1: Invited Talk
Thursday, March 30, 2000, 18:00–18:30, H20
Artificial Muscles from Carbon Nanotubes — •Oliver Jaschinski1, R. Baughman2, and C. Cui2 — 1Groupe de Dynamique des Phases Condensées, Universite Montpellier II, F-34095 Montpellier Cédex 5, France — 2Research and Technology, Allied Signal, Morristown, NJ 07962-1021, USA
We present a new type of electromechanical actuators, based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). These new actuators consist of networks of numerous SWNTs and thus their structure is similar to that of a natural muscle. The actuator mechanism relies on the quantumchemical expansion of the graphitic carbon lattice if electrically charged. By electrochemical charging and decharging a motion can be generated which resembles that of natural muscles. This can be demonstrated on a free standing film of Bucky paper (mat of nanotubes) in an aqueous electrolyte. The specific properties of carbon nanotubes offer a number of advantages over conventional actuator materials. SWNTs are chemically and thermally extremely stable. The mechanical properties are similar to those of diamond. The voltage needed is below 1V. Carbon nanotubes are prototype objects for bottom-up technologies. Actuator applications can be conceived both in macroscopic (Bucky paper) and in nanoscopic dimensions (single nanotube actuator).