Science Daily September 15, 2020
Actuation at micro- and nanoscale often requires large displacements and applied forces. An international team of researchers (Italy, Japan) has developed an ultra-small actuator based on vanadium oxide crystals that can be turned on and off in a fraction of a millisecond and exhibits nanometer-scale position control. The device is thermally activated through heating just above room temperature to trigger the VO2 crystalline symmetry change associated with the metal–insulator transition. The large lattice expansion of VO2 phase transition, compared to standard materials, is further amplified by the chevron-type geometry. DC and AC operation of the device are discussed. The actuator will be useful in robotics, medicine, and many other advanced applications…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Abstract Credit: Nano Lett. 2020, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX, August 26, 2020Â