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Science 21 May 1999:
Vol. 284. no. 5418, pp. 1340 - 1344
DOI: 10.1126/science.284.5418.1340
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Reports

Carbon Nanotube Actuators

Ray H. Baughman, 1* Changxing Cui, 1 Anvar A. Zakhidov, 1 Zafar Iqbal, 1 Joseph N. Barisci, 2 Geoff M. Spinks, 2 Gordon G. Wallace, 2 Alberto Mazzoldi, 3 Danilo De Rossi, 3 Andrew G. Rinzler, 4 Oliver Jaschinski, 5 Siegmar Roth, 5 Miklos Kertesz 6

Electromechanical actuators based on sheets of single-walled carbon nanotubes were shown to generate higher stresses than natural muscle and higher strains than high-modulus ferroelectrics. Like natural muscles, the macroscopic actuators are assemblies of billions of individual nanoscale actuators. The actuation mechanism (quantum chemical-based expansion due to electrochemical double-layer charging) does not require ion intercalation, which limits the life and rate of faradaic conducting polymer actuators. Unlike conventional ferroelectric actuators, low operating voltages of a few volts generate large actuator strains. Predictions based on measurements suggest that actuators using optimized nanotube sheets may eventually provide substantially higher work densities per cycle than any previously known technology.

1 Research and Technology, AlliedSignal, 101 Columbia Road, Morristown, NJ 07962-1021, USA.
2 Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
3 School of Engineering, University of Pisa, Centro E. Piaggio, Via Diotisalvi, 2-56100 Pisa, Italy.
4 Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611-8440, USA.
5 Max Planck Institut für Festkoerperforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
6 Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1227, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ray.baughman{at}alliedsignal.com

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