Multi-axis compliant mechanism-based nanopositioner for multi-mode mechanical testing of carbon nanotubes

Abstract

This thesis documents the design of a multi-axis nanopositioner that addresses a need for carbon nanotube (CNT) instrumentation that is capable of multiple modes of mechanical testing. This nanopositioner is a solution to the need to quantify the mechanical properties of CNTs with the appropriate modes of testing, such as simultaneous bending and tensile loading. This information is important as it is required to test and better understand the properties of CNTs before and after they are used in micro/nano-structures. The multi-axis nanopositioner will be integrated as one of the core components in a new CNT instrument that is presented in this thesis. The nanopositioner is a compliant mechanism-based device designed that is to induce precise nanometer-level deformations in CNTs within a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The design presented in this thesis is a 4-axis prototype of a 6-axis version. The 4-axis nanopositioner was able to demonstrate over one micron range of motion in multiple axes with 10 nm resolution and repeatability. The nanopositioner was specifically designed to fit inside an SEM like an ordinary sample.