Wanda Andreoni of EPFL/SB/ITP, expert in parallel computing, computational biology
Nicolaas De Rooij of EPFL/STI/IMT/SAMLAB, expert in microsensors, microfluidics and
BioMEMS
Laszlo Forro of EPFL/SB/IPMC/LNNME, expert in Nanostructures fundamentals
Oliver Gröning of EMPA Thun/Schutz, expert in characterization tools for electronic properties investigation of CNTs with distortions
Adrian Ionescu of EPFL/STI/IEL/NANOLAB, expert in Nanowire GAA FET fabrication platform-local strain technology-abrupt switch concepts. concept-modelling and fabrication
Maher Kayal of EPFL/STI/IEL/LEG1 , expert in analog and mixed-signal IC design
Bradley Nelson of ETHZ/IRIS, expert in Micro-/Nano-robotics
Dimos Poulikakos of ETHZ/D-MAVT/IET/LTNT, expert in micro-scale liquid phase cooling, nanofluid heat transfer and heat transfer modeling
Sensors are becoming ubiquitous in our lives and possible applications are countless. Micro and nanotechnologies are the natural choice for enabling complex sensor nodes, as they are small (thus unobtrusive), cheap and low power. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a perfect example of how nanosystems offer features unachievable with microsystems: their outstanding structural, mechanical and electronic properties have immediately resulted in numerous device demonstrators from transistors, to physical and chemical sensors, and actuators. A key idea of the project is to combine elements from the fundamental knowledge base on the physics of carbon nanotubes, gathered in the past several years, and the fundamental engineering sciences in the area of micro/nano-electromechanical systems, to develop novel devices and processes based on CNTs.
Specificaly, it seeks to demonstrate concepts and devices for ultra-low power, highly miniaturized functional blocks for sensing and electronics. Due to their small mass and high stiffness, doubly clamped CNTs can exhibit huge resonant frequencies. These are carbon nanotube resonators which, as recently demonstrated or predicted theoretically, can reach the multi-GHz range, can be tuned via straining over a wide range of frequency, offer an unprecedented sensitivity to strain or mass loading, exhibit high quality factors, and all these with a very low power consumption.
Two specific applications are being tageted. First of all, because of their high quality factors and high frequencies of operation, carbon nanotube resonators offer a wide range of electronics applications, where they can be used as tunable voltage controlled oscillators, clocks or nano electro-mechanical filtes and detectors. Another application is mass balances for sensing: since mass loading creates a shift in resonant frequency, with huge sensitivity to tiny mass variations, the resonators can be used to measure gas molecule densities or weigh nano bodies such as proteins and viruses. And as the resonant frequency is also affected by strain in the CNT, strains and forces could be measured in a rather straightforward manner.
The outcome may have implications in several domains: it will support health in diagnosis or preemptive detection of air borne pathogens and advance the basic science of proteomics, genetics and virology. Besides, autonomous, ultra-small and ultra low power sensors could findtheir way in many wearable, ambient or remote systems.
Defect-induced multicomponent electron scattering in single-walled carbon nanotubes D. Bercioux, G. Buchs, H. Grabert, and O. Gröning, Physical Review B (0, 2011)
Electrical Properties and Applications of Carbon Based Nanocomposite Materials: An Overview R. Sanjinés, Cr. Vâju, R. Smajda, M. Mioni? and A. Magrez, Surface and Coatings Technology, (0, 2011)
Fabricating devices with dielectrophoretically assembled, suspended single walled carbon nanotubes for improved nanoelectronic device characterization S. Schürle, M. K. Tiwari, K. Shou, D. Poulikakos, B. J. Nelson, Microelectronic Engineering (0, 2011)
Striking Influence of Catalyst Support on the Hydrocarbon Chemistry: New Insight into the Carbon Nanotube Growth Mechanism A. Magrez, R. Smajda, J.W. Seo, E. Horvath, P.R. Ribic, A. Olariu, J.C. Andresen, D. Acquaviva, G. Laurenczy and L. Forró, ACS Nano (0, 2011)
Catalytic CVD Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes: Towards High Yield and Low Temperature Growth A. Magrez, J.W. Seo, R. Smajda, M. Mionic and L. Forró, Materials (0, 2010)
Controlled Positioning of Carbon Nanotubes by Dielectrophoresis: Insights into the Solvent and Substrate Role M. Duchamp, K. Lee, B. Dwir, J.W. Seo, E. Kapon, L. Forró, A. Magrez, ACS Nano (0, 2010)
Hysteresis-free operation of suspended carbon nanotube transistors M. Muoth, T. Helbling, L. Durrer, S.-W. Lee, C. Roman, C. Hierold, Nature Nanotechnology (0, 2010)
Low Temperature, Highly Efficient Growth of CNTs on Functional Materials A. Magrez, J. W. Seo, R. Smajda, B. Korbely, J.C. Andresen, M. Mioni?, S. Casimirius, L. Forró, ACS Nano (0, 2010)
Sensors are becoming ubiquitous in our lives and possible applications are countless. Micro and nanotechnologies are the natural choice for enabling complex sensor nodes, as they are small (thus unobtrusive), cheap and low power. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a perfect example of how nanosystems offer features unachievable with microsystems: their outstanding structural, mechanical and electronic properties have immediately resulted in numerous device demonstrators from transistors, to physical and chemical sensors, and actuators. A key idea of the project is to combine elements from the fundamental knowledge base on the physics of carbon nanotubes, gathered in the past several years, and the fundamental engineering sciences in the area of micro/nano-electromechanical systems, to develop novel devices and processes based on CNTs.
