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Results for “Nanomechanical devices”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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29 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Nanoprobe Based Information Processing: Nanoprobe‐Electronics

Abstract With computational architectures becoming data‐centric and with the rise of in‐memory computing, the role of memory will be ever more crucial. In turn, storing massive amount of data demands for ultra‐low power and non‐volatile types necessitating new memory technologies. Here, a controllable nanoelectromechanical (NEM) spin memory is proposed for compact nonvolatile memory arrays. It combines the advantages of both nanomechanical and spin‐transfer torque (STT) magnetic memory devices to overcome fundamental scalability roadblocks of non‐hybrid alternatives. The hybrid system paves the way to a new memory technology in the regime of sub‐10‐nm lateral size with a sub‐1‐MA cm −2 switching energy.

Yi, Bao↗
DOE OSTI2021

Grain growth of nanocrystalline aluminum under tensile deformation: A combined in situ TEM and atomistic study

Nanocrystalline Al thin films have been strained in situ in a transmission electron microscope using two separate nanomechanical techniques involving a push-to-pull device and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device. Deformation-induced grain growth was observed to occur via stress-assisted grain boundary migration with extensive grain growth occurring in the necked region, indicating that the increase in local stress drives the boundary migration. Under applied tensile stresses close to the ultimate tensile strength of 450 MPa for a nanocrystalline Al specimen, measured boundary migration speeds are 0.2 – 0.7 nm s -1 for grains outside necked region and increases to 2.5 nm s -1 for grains within the necked region where the local estimated tensile stresses are elevated to around 630 MPa. By tracking grain boundary motion over time, molecular dynamics simulations showed qualitative agreement in terms of pronounced grain boundary migration with the experimental observations. The combined in situ observation and molecular dynamics simulation results underscore the important role of stress-driven grain growth in plastically deforming nanocrystalline metals, leading to intergranular fracture through predominant grain boundary sliding in regions with large localized deformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Solution of the Schrödinger equation for quasi-one-dimensional materials using helical waves

We formulate and implement a spectral method for solving the Schrödinger equation, as it applies to quasi-one-dimensional materials and structures. This allows for computation of the electronic structure of important technological materials such as nanotubes (of arbitrary chirality), nanowires, nanoribbons, chiral nanoassemblies, nanosprings and nanocoils, in an accurate, efficient and systematic manner. Our work is motivated by the observation that one of the most successful methods for carrying out electronic structure calculations of bulk/crystalline systems — the plane-wave method — is a spectral method based on eigenfunction expansion. Our scheme avoids computationally onerous approximations involving periodic supercells often employed in conventional plane-wave calculations of quasi-one-dimensional materials, and also overcomes several limitations of other discretization strategies, e.g., those based on finite differences and atomic orbitals. The basis functions in our method — called helical waves (or twisted waves) — are eigenfunctions of the Laplacian with symmetry adapted boundary conditions, and are expressible in terms of plane waves and Bessel functions in helical coordinates. We describe the setup of fast transforms to carry out discretization of the governing equations using our basis set, and the use of matrix-free iterative diagonalization to obtain the electronic eigenstates. Miscellaneous computational details, including the choice of eigensolvers, use of a preconditioning scheme, evaluation of oscillatory radial integrals and the imposition of a kinetic energy cutoff are discussed. We have implemented these strategies into a computational package called HelicES (Helical Electronic Structure). We demonstrate the utility of our method in carrying out systematic electronic structure calculations of various quasi-one-dimensional materials through numerous examples involving nanotubes, nanoribbons and nanowires. We also explore the convergence properties of our method, and assess its accuracy and computational efficiency by comparison against reference finite difference, transfer matrix method and plane-wave results. We anticipate that our method will find applications in computational nanomechanics and multiscale modeling, for carrying out transport calculations of interest to the field of semiconductor devices, and for the discovery of novel chiral phases of matter that are of relevance to the burgeoning quantum hardware industry.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nanomechanical testing of freestanding polymer films: in situ tensile testing and Tg measurement

Abstract A method for small-scale testing and imaging of freestanding, microtomed polymer films using a push-to-pull device is presented. Central to this method was the development of a sample preparation technique which utilized solvents at cryogenic temperatures to transfer and deposit delicate thin films onto the microfabricated push-to-pull devices. The preparation of focused ion beam (FIB)-milled tensile specimens enabled quantitative in situ TEM tensile testing, but artifacts associated with ion and electron beam irradiation motivated the development of a FIB-free specimen preparation method. The FIB-free method was enabled by the design and fabrication of oversized strain-locking push-to-pull devices. An adaptation for push-to-pull devices to be compatible with an instrumented nanoindenter expanded the testing capabilities to include in situ heating. These innovations provided quantitative mechanical testing, postmortem TEM imaging, and the ability to measure the glass transition temperature, via dynamic mechanical analysis, of freestanding polymer films. Results for each of these mentioned characterization methods are presented and discussed in terms of polymer nanomechanics. Graphic Abstract

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phase Transition in a Memristive Suspended MoS 2 Monolayer Probed by Opto- and Electro-Mechanics

Semiconducting monolayers of a 2D material are able to concatenate multiple interesting properties into a single component. Here, by combining opto-mechanical and electronic measurements, we demonstrate the presence of a partial 2H–1T' phase transition in a suspended 2D monolayer membrane of MoS 2 . Electronic transport shows unexpected memristive properties in the MoS 2 membrane, in the absence of any external dopants. A strong mechanical softening of the membrane is measured concurrently and may only be related to the 2H–1T' phase transition, which imposes a 3% directional elongation of the topological 1T' phase with respect to the semiconducting 2H. We note that only a few percent 2H–1T' phase switching is sufficient to observe measurable memristive effects. Our experimental results combined with first-principles total energy calculations indicate that sulfur vacancy diffusion plays a key role in the initial nucleation of the phase transition. Our study clearly shows that nanomechanics represents an ultrasensitive technique to probe the crystal phase transition in 2D materials or thin membranes. Lastly, a better control of the microscopic mechanisms responsible for the observed memristive effect in MoS 2 is important for the implementation of future devices.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2023

Effect of Molecular Weight on the Morphology of a Polymer Semiconductor–Thermoplastic Elastomer Blend

Abstract Polymer semiconductors (PSCs) are essential active materials in mechanically stretchable electronic devices. However, many exhibit low fracture strain due to their rigid chain conformation and the presence of large crystalline domains. Here, a PSC/elastomer blend, poly[((2,6‐bis(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐3,7‐bis(9‐octylnonadecyl)thieno[3,2‐b]thieno[2′,3′:4,5]thieno[2,3‐d]thiophene)‐5,5′‐diyl)(2,5‐bis(8‐octyloctadecyl)‐3,6‐di(thiophen‐2‐yl)pyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐1,4‐dione)‐5,5′‐diyl]] (P2TDPP2TFT4) and polystyrene‐ block ‐poly(ethylene‐ran‐butylene)‐ block ‐polystyrene (SEBS) are systematically investigated. Specifically, the effects of molecular weight of both SEBS and P2TDPP2TFT4 on the resulting blend morphology, mechanical, and electrical properties are explored. In addition to commonly used techniques, atomic force microscopy‐based nanomechanical images are used to provide additional insights into the blend film morphology. Opposing trends in SEBS‐induced aggregation are observed for the different P2TDPP2TFT4 molecular weights upon increasing the SEBS molecular weight from 87 to 276 kDa. Furthermore, these trends are seen in device performance trends for both molecular weights of P2TDPP2TFT4. SEBS molecular weight also has a substantial influence on the mesoscale phase separation. Strain at fracture increases dramatically upon blending, reaching a maximum value of 640% ± 20% in the blended films measured with film‐on‐water method. These results highlight the importance of molecular weight for electronic devices. In addition, this study provides valuable insights into appropriate polymer selections for stretchable semiconducting thin films that simultaneously possess excellent mechanical and electrical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ultrastrong colloidal crystal metamaterials engineered with DNA

Lattice-based constructs, often made by additive manufacturing, are attractive for many applications. Typically, such constructs are made from microscale or larger elements; however, smaller nanoscale components can lead to more unusual properties, including greater strength, lighter weight, and unprecedented resiliencies. Here, solid and hollow nanoparticles (nanoframes and nanocages; frame size: ~15 nanometers) were assembled into colloidal crystals using DNA, and their mechanical strengths were studied. Nanosolid, nanocage, and nanoframe lattices with identical crystal symmetries exhibit markedly different specific stiffnesses and strengths. Unexpectedly, the nanoframe lattice is approximately six times stronger than the nanosolid lattice. Nanomechanical experiments, electron microscopy, and finite element analysis show that this property results from the buckling, densification, and size-dependent strain hardening of nanoframe lattices. Last, these unusual open architectures show that lattices with structural elements as small as 15 nanometers can retain a high degree of strength, and as such, they represent target components for making and exploring a variety of miniaturized devices.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electro-optic transduction in silicon via gigahertz-frequency nanomechanics

Interfacing electronics with optical fiber networks is key to the long-distance transfer of classical and quantum information. Piezo-optomechanical transducers enable such interfaces by using gigahertz-frequency acoustic vibrations as mediators for converting microwave photons to optical photons via the combination of optomechanical and piezoelectric interactions. However, despite successful demonstrations, efficient quantum transduction remains out of reach due to the challenges associated with hybrid material integration and increased loss from piezoelectric materials when operating in the quantum regime. Here, we demonstrate an alternative approach in which we actuate 5-GHz phonons in a conventional silicon-on-insulator platform. In our experiment, microwave photons resonantly drive a phononic crystal oscillator via the electrostatic force realized in a charge-biased narrow-gap capacitor. The mechanical vibrations are subsequently transferred via a phonon waveguide to an optomechanical cavity, where they transform into optical photons in the sideband of a pump laser field. Operating at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, we measure a microwave-to-optical photon conversion efficiency of 1.72±0.14×10 −7 in a 3.3 MHz bandwidth. Our results mark a stepping stone towards quantum transduction with integrated devices made from crystalline silicon, which promise efficient high-bandwidth operation and integration with superconducting qubits. Additionally, the lack of need for piezoelectricity or other intrinsic nonlinearities makes our approach applicable to a wide range of materials for potential applications beyond quantum technologies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Atomically precise control of rotational dynamics in charged rare-earth complexes on a metal surface

Abstract Complexes containing rare-earth ions attract great attention for their technological applications ranging from spintronic devices to quantum information science. While charged rare-earth coordination complexes are ubiquitous in solution, they are challenging to form on materials surfaces that would allow investigations for potential solid-state applications. Here we report formation and atomically precise manipulation of rare-earth complexes on a gold surface. Although they are composed of multiple units held together by electrostatic interactions, the entire complex rotates as a single unit when electrical energy is supplied from a scanning tunneling microscope tip. Despite the hexagonal symmetry of the gold surface, a counterion at the side of the complex guides precise three-fold rotations and 100% control of their rotational directions is achieved using a negative electric field from the scanning probe tip. This work demonstrates that counterions can be used to control dynamics of rare-earth complexes on materials surfaces for quantum and nanomechanical applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low-phase-noise surface-acoustic-wave oscillator using an edge mode of a phononic band gap

Low-phase-noise microwave-frequency integrated oscillators provide compact solutions for various applications in signal processing, communications, and sensing. Surface acoustic waves (SAWs), featuring orders-of-magnitude shorter wavelength than electromagnetic waves at the same frequency, enable integrated microwave-frequency systems with much smaller footprint on chip. SAW devices also allow higher-quality (Q) factors than electronic components at room temperature. Here, we demonstrate a low-phase-noise gigahertz-frequency SAW oscillator on 128°Y-cut lithium niobate, where the SAW resonator occupies a footprint of 0.05 mm 2 . Leveraging phononic crystal band-gap-edge modes to balance between Q factors and insertion losses, our 1-GHz SAW oscillator features a low phase noise of -132.5 dBc/Hz at a 10-kHz offset frequency and an overlapping Hadamard deviation of 6.5 × 10 -10 at an analysis time of 64 ms. The SAW resonator-based oscillator holds high potential in developing low-noise sensors and acousto-optic integrated circuits.

42 ENGINEERING↗