| PROPOSAL NUMBER: | 02- S4.05-9127 (For NASA Use Only - Chron: 022872 ) |
| SUBTOPIC TITLE: | Advanced Miniature and Microelectronics, Nanosensors, and Evolvable Hardware |
| PROPOSAL TITLE: | Electro-mechanical actuators and tunable reflectors based on carbon nanotubes |
SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN
(Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
ALTAIR Center, LLC
1 Chartwell Circle
Shrewsbury , MA 01545 - 4819
(508 ) 845 - 5349
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER
(Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Dr. Sergei Krivoshlykov
altairctr@aol.com
1 Chartwell Circle
Shrewsbury , MA 01545 - 4819
(508 ) 845 - 5349
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
ALTAIR Center proposes to develop a new class of nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) based on carbon nanotubes operating at low control voltages. The proposed system consists of thin film of an appropriate solid-state material sandwiched between two nanolayers of carbon nanotubes embedded into a special matrix. The device takes advantage of recently demonstrated effect of elongation or contraction of the single-walled carbon nanotubes as a result of injection of charges of different polarity. The thin film NEMS fabricated in such a way may be used in various nano-electro-mechanical devices, artificial muscles, electrical actuators, thin film reflectors with variable focus, etc.
In Phase I of this project we will perform technology development and will prove feasibility of the proposed concept by fabricating a model actuator and demonstrating its performance. In Phase II the technology will be completely optimized and applied to fabrication of Prototype NEMS devices based on carbon NT, such as efficient low-voltage actuators and reflectors with variable focal distance for immediate implementation in current and future NASA missions.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In addition to immediate NASA applications as artificial muscles of robots and flexible deployable reflectors with variable focal distance, the proposed system will be applicable to many commercial areas, including: NEMS and MEMS devices, nano-manipulation of various small objects, Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopes, Atomic Force Tunneling Microscopes, etc.
POTENTIAL NASA APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Compact power-efficient electro-mechanical devices, artificial muscles, flexible thin film reflectors with variable focus operating at low control voltage are critical for many applications in space research including remote sensing approach to exploration of solar system. Such devices will find numerous applications in various NASA missions.