Mechanical

The invention is a method for producing a plurality of thin film actuators. The method includes depositing a film of a shape memory alloy material onto a polyimide film to form a shape memory alloy construction.

An improved ability of microprobe tips to manipulate small objects is obtained by piezoelectric tips that resist bending as they encounter such objects.

A piezoelectric film deposited on a micro-cantilever atomic force microscope (AFM) probe tip enables the cantilever to remain fully extended, with improved sensing and manipulation of nano-objects.

This technology uses natural polymers such as chitin and chitosan as compatibilizers for natural fiber (wood and agro-fiber) filled PVC composites.

Using a hollow latex tube as a probe tip with adjustable internal air pressures, nano-objects can be picked up and deposited with good precision, creating new applications.

A reliable, controlled process is provided for bridging nano-scale electrode gaps with nanowires (NWS) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with resulting applications in the future manufacture of molecular electronics devices. This invention has promise as a research tool in properties of NWs and CNTs.

A strain rate monitor integrating the sensing and data collection functions using floating-gate circuitry so efficient that the electrical power generated by the piezo sensing element itself is sufficient for the entire device. This allows the complete monitor to be small enough to embed directly into the structure being monitored.

A MEMS oscillator with multiple microbeam resonators capable of detecting multiple analytes with a single forcing input and single detection output signal.

The invented process allows for the selection of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by selected properties (e.g. physical dimensions and electrical properties) from an initial undifferentiated CNT power with a wide range of CNT properties, with potential applications in the construction of nanodevices.

This technology is a method of making a reinforced plastic composite material that consists of nanoscopic clay particles and wood flour particles dispersed in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin.