A Nanogripper Employing Aligned Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes

Nanogripper structures using aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are demonstrated and their electromechanical properties have been studied in this paper. The balance of electrostatic force, together with elastostatic force and van der Waals force determines the driving conditions. A triode structure drastically reduces the bias between two moving parts, which consist of MWCNTs. Low bias also enables low power consumption as well as the reduction of electrical damage to an object. The moving parts can keep the same state without any applied biases after bending and connection. This also enables power saving during driving. The device can be a base structure for various nanorobotic or other nanoelectromechanical devices.