BYO Death Ray: Carbon nanohairs

Dylan is back with some nanonews.

Carbon nanotubes may help robots to better sense their environment and more!

Carbon nanotubes, is there anything they can't do?
Source Wikimedia Commons

Hairlike fibre sensors made out of tiny carbon tubes and silver particles may just be the new way to sense pressure. Whether for robots or micro-controllers, these new sensors open a world of possibility!

These sensors can detect tiny changes in pressure. A film of carbon nanotubes on the fibres carry tiny electrical signals that change when the nanotubes feel pressure, such as from wind or touch. The film of nanotubes also enables the fibre to flex over and over again while always returning to its original shape.

A team at the University of California applied a voltage to the base of the fibres and then measured how the current varied as the fibres bent slightly in the wind. The fibres were very accurate and very sensitive.

Scientists had previously come up with the idea of using fibres to measure pressure and touch - like the whiskers on a cat - but their designs were bulky, they could not detect very light touches and they were easily damaged. The new nanotube coated fibres are ten times as sensitive as previous designs, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Author's note:
I apologise in advance for the reduction in posts. The new school year is starting so I will only post about once a fortnight. Thank you!

Thanks Dylan.

Nanolinks

• Nanotubes are named because they are only a few nanometres wide. One nanometre is one-billionth of a metre.
• Carbon nanotubes have some pretty amazing properties. They can even be used to replace the silicon chip in a computer, as reported last year.