Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuator
Abstract Micro actuators are widely used in NEMS/MEMS for control and sensing. However, most are designed with suspended beams anchored at fixed points, causing two main issues: restricted actuated stroke and movement modes, and reduced lifespan due to fatigue from repeated beam deformation, contact...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55078-0 |
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| _version_ | 1841544513203470336 |
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| author | Xuanyu Huang Xiaojian Xiang Chuang Li Jinhui Nie Yifan Shao Zhiping Xu Quanshui Zheng |
| author_facet | Xuanyu Huang Xiaojian Xiang Chuang Li Jinhui Nie Yifan Shao Zhiping Xu Quanshui Zheng |
| author_sort | Xuanyu Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Micro actuators are widely used in NEMS/MEMS for control and sensing. However, most are designed with suspended beams anchored at fixed points, causing two main issues: restricted actuated stroke and movement modes, and reduced lifespan due to fatigue from repeated beam deformation, contact wear and stiction. Here, we develop an electrostatic in-plane actuator leveraging structural superlubric sliding interfaces, characterized by zero wear, ultralow friction, and no fixed anchor. The actuator features a micro-scale graphite flake in structural superlubric contact with silicon dioxide tracks, reducing friction from edge defects. Using the charge injection method, the structural superlubric actuator not only achieves a maximum relative actuation stroke of 82.3% of the flake size by applying voltage to buried electrodes—3.4 times larger than previously reported, but also enables controllable reciprocating actuation by adjusting the form of the bias voltage. Additionally, no visible wear was observed at the structural superlubric interface after over 10,000 sliding cycles, indicating robust reliability. Our work presents a design concept for micro actuators with high performance and durability, potentially guiding the development of many structural superlubric micro-devices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-669ee57080f54bd9a3e677a2658bdca1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-669ee57080f54bd9a3e677a2658bdca12025-01-12T12:29:42ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111210.1038/s41467-024-55078-0Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuatorXuanyu Huang0Xiaojian Xiang1Chuang Li2Jinhui Nie3Yifan Shao4Zhiping Xu5Quanshui Zheng6Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua UniversityInstitute of Superlubricity Technology, Research Institute of Tsinghua University in ShenzhenCenter for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua UniversityInstitute of Superlubricity Technology, Research Institute of Tsinghua University in ShenzhenCenter for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua UniversityInstitute of Superlubricity Technology, Research Institute of Tsinghua University in ShenzhenTsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua UniversityAbstract Micro actuators are widely used in NEMS/MEMS for control and sensing. However, most are designed with suspended beams anchored at fixed points, causing two main issues: restricted actuated stroke and movement modes, and reduced lifespan due to fatigue from repeated beam deformation, contact wear and stiction. Here, we develop an electrostatic in-plane actuator leveraging structural superlubric sliding interfaces, characterized by zero wear, ultralow friction, and no fixed anchor. The actuator features a micro-scale graphite flake in structural superlubric contact with silicon dioxide tracks, reducing friction from edge defects. Using the charge injection method, the structural superlubric actuator not only achieves a maximum relative actuation stroke of 82.3% of the flake size by applying voltage to buried electrodes—3.4 times larger than previously reported, but also enables controllable reciprocating actuation by adjusting the form of the bias voltage. Additionally, no visible wear was observed at the structural superlubric interface after over 10,000 sliding cycles, indicating robust reliability. Our work presents a design concept for micro actuators with high performance and durability, potentially guiding the development of many structural superlubric micro-devices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55078-0 |
| spellingShingle | Xuanyu Huang Xiaojian Xiang Chuang Li Jinhui Nie Yifan Shao Zhiping Xu Quanshui Zheng Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuator Nature Communications |
| title | Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuator |
| title_full | Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuator |
| title_fullStr | Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuator |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuator |
| title_short | Electrostatic in-plane structural superlubric actuator |
| title_sort | electrostatic in plane structural superlubric actuator |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55078-0 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xuanyuhuang electrostaticinplanestructuralsuperlubricactuator AT xiaojianxiang electrostaticinplanestructuralsuperlubricactuator AT chuangli electrostaticinplanestructuralsuperlubricactuator AT jinhuinie electrostaticinplanestructuralsuperlubricactuator AT yifanshao electrostaticinplanestructuralsuperlubricactuator AT zhipingxu electrostaticinplanestructuralsuperlubricactuator AT quanshuizheng electrostaticinplanestructuralsuperlubricactuator |