Fabrication of a rotary carbon nanotube bearing test apparatus
Author(s)
Cook, E. H.; Weinberg, M. S.; Spakovszky, Zoltan S; Carter, David J
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Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are attractive elements for bearings in MicroElectro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), because their structure comprises nested shells with no bonding and sub-nanometre spacing between them, enabling relative motion with low friction and wear. A reliable bearing technology is critical to bringing rotating MEMS machines from laboratory demonstrations to common use. We report here the
design and fabrication of a test rotor, a testing apparatus and testing attempts, and integration of CNTs with MEMS. The device improves on existing CNT bearing demonstrators by establishing a vertical bearing orientation (enabling superior rotor balance and speed, and drive mechanism placement flexibility) and a manufacturable process (employing CNTs grown in place by chemical vapour deposition (CVD)). The main outstanding challenge to demonstrating rotation is available CVD CNT quality.
Date issued
2015-12Department
Charles Stark Draper Laboratory; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsJournal
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Citation
Cook, E H et al. “Fabrication of a Rotary Carbon Nanotube Bearing Test Apparatus.” Journal of Physics: Conference Series 660 (2015): 12081. © Copyright 2017 IOP Publishing
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1742-6588
1742-6596