UK – Page 28 – TechConnect Briefs

Absorption Characteristics of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Haque S., Marinelli C., Udrea F., Milne W.I., Cambridge University, UK

In this paper the absorption characteristics of Carbon Nanotube(CNT) is determined using CNT samples with varying thickness in the range of 1470-1580nm. The absorption coefficient of carbon nanotube is determined to be equal to ~24 [...]

Determination of relative concentrations of metallic and semi-conducting SWNTs in suspension via dielectrophoresis

Mureau N., Mendoza E., Hoettges K.F., Silva S.R.P, Hughes M.P., University of Surrey, UK

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a phemomenon of induced particle motion in non-uniform electric fields. The effect is frequency dependent; by monitoring the motion of particles in AC fields and ananlysing the change in motion with frequency, [...]

Influence of photo-initiator concentration on residual mechanical stress in SU-8 thin films

Psoma S.D., Jenkins D.W.K., Derbyshire G.E., Stevens R., CCLRC RUTHERFORD APPLETON LABORATORY, UK

The negative photoresist SU-8 is widely used in the development and fabrication of MEMS devices. The structures of the resist are the product of photochemical and thermal cationic processes and result in vertical sidewalls and [...]

Titanium Dioxide Nanostructured Coatings: Application in Photocatalysis and Sensors

Byrne J.A., Hamilton J.W.J., McMurray T.A., Dunlop P.S.M., Donaldson V.J.A., Rankin J., Dale G., Al Rousan D., University of Ulster, UK

This paper presents results concerning the fabrication, characterisation, and application of nano-structured titanium dioxide films. Applications include photocatalytic purification of water, “self-decontaminating” surfaces, and electrochemical biosensing.

Design and Manufacturing Concepts of Nanoparticle-reinforced Aerospace Materials

Kireitseu M.V., Tomlinson G.R., Basenuk V., Rolls-Royce Centre in Damping, the University of Sheffield, UK

Material and Fan Blade Design Concepts shown in fig. 1 are introduced as follows: 1) CNT-reinforced micro-balloons to be used to create syntactic foam (an two-part epoxy adhesive filled with micro-balloons) such that the density [...]

High Capacity Nano-optical Diffraction Bar-code Tagging for Biological and Chemical Applications

Banu S., Birtwell S., Chen Y., Galitonov G., Morgan H., Zheludev N., University of Southampton, UK

Here we describe a new method for encoding small beads which allows for non-contact reading. The tagging technique is based on fabricating a nano-structured pattern on the surface of the particle, which is only a [...]

Energetics of Non-Uniformly Alloyed Ge(Si)/Si(001) Quantum Dots

Lang C., Nguyen-Manh D., Cockayne D.J.H., University of Oxford, UK

We have obtained for the first time quantitative data about the energetics of alloyed Ge/Si Quantum Dots (QDs) from atomistic simulations which take into account the non-uniformity of the alloying profile. With the algorithm we [...]

Electromechanical Model for a Single Port Nano-Mechancial Beam Resonator

Kemp T., Docker P.T., Ward M.C.L., Jones I.P., The University of Birmingham, UK

A simple electromechanical model for a nano-mechanical, magneto-motively driven beam resonator is derived. The model is developed in order to determine the dynamic electrical properties of the resonator. This enables the pickoff and drive electronics [...]

Effects of Etch Holes in Microelectromechanical Resonators

Yan J., Seshia A.A., University of Cambridge, UK

Micromachining processes such as surface machining of polysilicon microstructures or SOI-based processes often require etch holes to be created in the structural layer for purposes of releasing the mechanical structures. The present work examines the [...]

Design Optimisation of an Electrostatic MEMS Actuator with Low Spring Constant for an “Atom Chip”

Rouabah H.A., Gollasch C.O., Kraft M., University of Southampton, UK

The advance of MEMS based sensors and microfabrication techniques has facilitated innovative technologies such as so-called ‘atom chips’, where a cloud of ultra cold atoms in a Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC) is controlled and manipulated [...]